House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee
Key Moments
Bruce Skaug — Representative Bruce Skaug opens by handing the gavel to the vice chair because he is carrying the first bill, then introduces House Bill 556 as a correction to county reimbursement for state inmates. The chair also notes that questions for Representative Skaug will be held until the end of testimony.
Bruce Skaug — Referenced as the chairman who has noted that the state is subsidized by the counties.
Bruce Skaug — Referenced again as chairman in the subsidy discussion.
Bruce Skaug — The chair is referred to as Chairman Scott in the transcript, but the context indicates Bruce Skaug is chairing the meeting.
Bruce Skaug — The chair is referenced in the discussion about county jails housing state prisoners and financial loss.
Bruce Skaug — The chair is addressed and referenced while discussing whether some jails expand to take overflow state prisoners.
Bruce Skaug — The chair is addressed in the discussion of county jail space and contractual arrangements for housing inmates.
Bruce Skaug — Chairman Skog cast votes in the sequence of motions, first voting no on the substitute motion and later voting yes on the original motion.
Rod Beck — Rod Beck testifies as chairman of the Ada County Commission, introducing himself and offering to answer questions. In his remarks, he explains that county jails are intended for short-term housing rather than long-term incarceration and do not provide many programs. The exchange concludes with him being addressed as Commissioner Beck after questions.
Heather Scott — Thanked for diligence in bringing the issue forward in prior years.
Heather Scott — The transcript says 'Chairman Scott,' likely referring to Representative Heather Scott, though the context is uncertain.
Heather Scott — Chairman/Representative Scott is first invited to come up and finish his testimony, and later is recorded as voting yes on the substitute motion, with a final brief mention of his name during the vote sequence.
Heather Scott — Heather Scott corrected the wording of the motion, clarifying that it was to send the bill to the floor with a due pass, and was then thanked for making that correction.
Clay Handy — Representative Clay Handy is addressed and then asks the commissioner whether the county jail offers programs for prisoners. The commissioner responds to his question, continuing the same discussion about jail programming.
Clay Handy — Sheriff Donahue responds to a programming question directed to Representative Handy.
Clay Handy — Representative Handy asks what it costs to house prisoners in Arizona or other out-of-state facilities. The response states that Arizona is reimbursed at about $99 per day, and the discussion continues with a follow-up tied to Handy’s question about additional Arizona-related administrative fees.
Clay Handy — Representative Handy moved to send House Bill 556 to the floor with a due pass recommendation, then later recorded a no vote on the substitute motion and a yes vote on the original motion during the same voting sequence.
John Gannon — Asks for the daily cost of an IDOC prisoner.
John Gannon — Representative Gannon is referenced in the discussion about county jail space and federal holds.
John Gannon — Representative Gannon asks about the percentage increase and whether the rate is going from $55 to $80 per day.
John Gannon — Representative Gannon asks for confirmation that the bill changes the daily rate from $55 to $80.
John Gannon — Raised concern about where the $3.1 million would come from and noted budget holdbacks.
John Gannon — Asked where the $3.1 million would come from and argued the state should pay its bills.
John Gannon — Continued questioning about the funding gap and the subsidy counties must cover.
John Gannon — Supported paying the actual costs but asked where the money should come from, suggesting the rainy day fund.
John Gannon — The sheriff responded to Representative Gannon's question about funding.
John Gannon — Voted yes on the substitute motion.
John Gannon — Voted yes on the substitute motion; the motion then failed 5-8.
John Gannon — Voted yes with the option to change the vote on the floor.
John Gannon — Representative Gannon questions whether the bill could conflict with U.S. treaties or international agreements, asks for legal support, and clarifies that he means treaties entered into by the United States. He then raises a hypothetical involving nuclear-contaminated sand from Kuwait and references a 2014 law on international child custody and support as a comparison, asking whether the bill could create similar problems. The chair and others seek clarification and indicate the issue likely falls under an exception. Later, Gannon notes he received an answer on the treaty question, asks for the page reference, and acknowledges that treaties are exempted before yielding for further testimony and vote.
Kelly Brassfield — Kelly Brassfield, representing the Idaho Association of Counties, testifies in support of House Bill 556. She explains the history of county jail inmate reimbursement rates, noting prior increases and the move to the current tiered system in 2018, while emphasizing that actual per-inmate daily costs have risen to about $81. She concludes by stating that statutory reimbursement rates lag behind real costs and asks the committee for a due pass recommendation, offering to answer questions.
Brandy Rican / Randy Reichen (questionable) — The witness, identifying themselves as being from District 12, continues their testimony in support of the bill and argues that Canyon County is underpaid for the cost of caring for these people.
Sheriff Kieran Donahue — Sheriff Kieran Donahue, representing the Idaho Sheriff's Association and Canyon County, testifies in support of the bill while explaining the costs counties bear when housing state inmates. He says counties must account not only for the inmate’s presence but also for detention staffing, medical and mental health care coordination, facility maintenance, utilities, food service, and compliance requirements. He notes that Canyon County houses about 120 state inmates per day and states that the county’s cost is about $113 per inmate per day, compared with about $120 per inmate per day in Ada County.
Sheriff Clifford — Sheriff Clifford is present from Ada County, and the discussion notes that he is housing about 170 to 175 state inmates every day.
Sheriff Matt Clifford — Sheriff Matt Clifford, speaking for Ada County and the Idaho Sheriff's Association, explains that Ada County offers cognitive thinking, decision-making, and GED programs, but state inmates are often lower priority because many participants are court-ordered. He then shifts to the funding issue, noting that IDOC pays about $98 to house inmates in prison while counties receive $75 even though the actual county cost is about $120.
Sheriff Donahue — Clifford repeatedly references Sheriff Donahue’s testimony, saying he wants to echo what Donahue said and later noting that Donahue had already made the same point. The remarks collectively express agreement with Donahue’s earlier testimony rather than introducing a new topic.
Commissioner Beck — Clifford agrees with Beck that there are not many occupational programs.
Barbara Ehardt — A representative is addressed in follow-up questioning about jail capacity and overflow.
Barbara Ehardt — Representative Ehardt was recognized and then made a substitute motion to hold the bill in committee until February 25th so the committee could speak with JFAC. The motion then came to a vote, with Representative Ehart recorded as voting yes, later adding that the yes vote was reluctant and could be changed on the floor. A later vote-tally mention appears to be a transcription error referring to the same member.
Barbara Ehardt — Was called on immediately after the motion, though the transcript garbles the name as 'Ehart.'
Barbara Ehardt — Barbara Ehardt asked for a brief explanation of what the dogs are trained to detect, and the witness responded that they are trained to detect a specific compound.
Mike Pohanka
Joe Alfieri — Vice Chair Alfieri participated in the vote on the substitute motion, casting a no vote; the later fragment appears to be an incomplete continuation of the same voting exchange.
Marco Erickson — Representative Erickson participated in the vote sequence, first voting no on the substitute motion and later voting yes on the original motion as the roll call continued.
Dan Garner — Representative Garner voted yes on both the substitute motion and the original motion.
Dale Hawkins — Representative Hawkins voted yes on the substitute motion and later voted yes on the original motion.
Dale Hawkins — Dale Hawkins moved to introduce House Bill 602 with a due pass, corrected and renewed the motion to send the bill to the floor with a due pass, and then responded to discussion by explaining that the bill would not affect treaties or prior law because it applies only to Idaho law going forward.
Ted Hill — Representative Hill cast votes in the roll call, voting no on the substitute motion and yes on the original motion.
Ted Hill — Representative Ted Hill was called on by the chair and then spoke in support of the bill, praising it and noting that many people, including the speaker and majority leader, had worked on it for years.
John Shirts — Representative Shirts voted no on the substitute motion and then voted yes on the original motion.