Dale Hawkins — Representative Hawkins supported the bill by describing how counties often face limited candidate pools when filling vacancies, citing a recent county commissioner resignation as an example. He noted that his county is just under 10,000 people and suggested census figures may not fully reflect local conditions. He argued that county central committees and local vetting and voting processes are close to the people and well positioned to make these appointment decisions, making the bill reasonable.
Dale Hawkins — Recorded as voting yes.
Jennifer Reby — Jennifer Reby, a Payette County commissioner, testified in opposition to the bill. She explained that her county had multiple applicants for commissioner vacancies and that the governor conducted interviews, arguing that it was not the central committee’s role to make that decision or shift authority away from the existing county and gubernatorial process.
Commissioner Reby — Commissioner Reby was thanked and invited to answer questions about the appointment process. In response, Reby explained that although the applicant pool had gotten smaller over time, each appointment still had at least three candidates. Reby then addressed questions about the central committee and the governor’s role, saying the governor was the higher authority, interviewed applicants, made informed decisions, and did not always choose the top candidate. Reby also noted that the situation did not appear to be nepotism, including in a case involving family connections on the central committee.
Elaine Price — Representative Price asked about the timing of the three appointments and followed up by asking whether the applicant pool had grown or shrunk, seeking clarification on how the pool changed in size.
Elaine Price — Representative Price supported the motion by pointing to prior bills that broadened appointment pools or expanded options in situations where positions were hard to fill, arguing that counties facing appointment difficulties should likewise be given flexibility.
Elaine Price — Recorded as voting yes.
Lucas Cayler — Representative Kaler thanked the chair and Commissioner Revy, then raised a question about whether the central committee is more directly connected to the issue than the governor. The exchange continued with a response indicating disagreement with that premise.
Lucas Cayler — Supported the motion, saying large districts like District 11 in Caldwell make it difficult to find enough interested people.
Lucas Cayler — Explained that District 11 in Caldwell has difficulty finding interested people and voters, supporting the motion.
Lucas Cayler — Said making the process easier for central committees is a good step in the right direction.
Lucas Cayler — Recorded as voting yes.
Marco Erickson — Representative Harris returned to answer questions as the sponsor of the bill, said he was not personally aware of cases where fewer than three names were presented to the governor, and explained that the bill was prompted by a county’s difficulty finding enough nominees. He then argued that county central committees are locally elected and best positioned to make nomination decisions, emphasizing local control and concluding by asking for a yes vote on House Bill 892.
Marco Erickson — Called during roll call; vote not captured in this excerpt.
Jon Weber — Asked whether fewer than three names have ever been presented to the governor.
Jon Weber — Said the current process is three names from the Central Committee to the Governor and that any change to central committee appointment authority should be handled in another bill.
Jon Weber — Said the current law requires three names to the Governor and that changing the Central Committee's role would require another bill.
Jon Weber — Cited in support of the point that there may be room for smaller changes.
Jon Weber — Referenced as having made a point about possible smaller changes.
Jon Weber — Recorded as voting no.
Richard Cheatum — Representative Cheatum discussed the nomination and appointment process, arguing that the governor should choose from the submitted list of nominees and describing a county example where the central committee selected candidates and the governor made the final choice after interviews. He said the process allows for independent review and community input, but expressed concern that the $50,000 threshold is too high because it would result in too few nominees, in some cases only a single candidate.
Richard Cheatum — Recorded as voting no.
Steve Berch — Representative Birch opposed the motion, arguing that it effectively treats one nominee as an appointment and that the bill is overly broad because it changes the statewide process based on a single possible case.
Bruce Skaug — Called during roll call; vote not captured in this excerpt.
Joe Alfieri — Recorded as voting yes.
Josh Wheeler — Recorded as voting no.
Clint Hostetler — Representative Clint Hostetler was called during the vote and recorded as voting yes.
Barbara Ehardt — Barbara Ehardt, acting as chair, announced that the motion passed on an 8-6 vote, indicated the representative would carry it, then stated the meeting would proceed at the call of the chair and concluded the meeting with thanks to attendees.
Cornel Rasor — Joked about Representative Rasor in a lighthearted exchange.
Cornel Rasor — During the roll-call vote, the transcript records a 'No' vote associated with Representative Cornelis, though the name appears to be a likely transcription error or unclear reference.
Monica Church — Representative Church questioned the bill’s 50,000-population cutoff, noting that the originating county had far fewer residents and that the threshold would affect many counties. He expressed concern that the proposal would effectively allow political parties to determine commissioner selections for numerous counties and asked whether the governor would still have the ability to decline the single nominee.
Monica Church — Raised the question of what problem the bill is trying to solve and noted that counties under 5,000 could be difficult cases.
Monica Church — Appears to have been present and associated with the vote; the transcript says 'Representative Church? Okay.'
Dale Hawkins — Moved to send House Bill 892 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.