A cold start to the session in January could translate to a very hectic March

Iam humbled to have the opportunity to be working on behalf of the cattle industry at the Idaho Capitol. For the past 45 days, and for at least the next foreseeable 45, it will be busy on Jefferson Street in Boise. Before I get too far over my skis here talking politics, let me introduce myself a little bit for those of you who are wondering about the guy with a last name longer than a country mile and a first name that has a ‘t’ followed by an ‘x’ in it. To address the name portion first, my family comes from the Basque culture, and in that dialect the ‘t’ and the ‘x’ are able to get cozy next to one another providing something similar to the ‘ch’ sound. I grew up on a diversified row crop farm and commercial cattle ranch just south of Star where my family continues to operate business. I graduated from the University of Idaho and have been involved in legislative affairs for clients since the 2018 session. I am married to a teacher who has the patience to deal with me and our two year old daughter.

During the 2022 election cycle we saw nearly a 50% turnover in the legislature. A large driving factor was the redistricting and drawing of new legislative boundaries. The large turnover accounts for new faces to both bodies and people that may have transitioned from one body to the other. In referring to the body or a body in this article and any subsequent article, I am referring to the House of Representatives and Senate. All of the new legislators have come in with different backgrounds and have different ideas that motivate them. There have been several classes taught for the new legislators in preparation for the session, but there is something about being involved in the process that gives you the most insight. An abundance of new faces in both bodies, combined with new leadership in the House of Representatives and new Committee Chairs on both sides of the rotunda was likely the source of the slower than usual start to the session. However, five weeks in has us off and running with a primed legislative engine that is spitting out bills faster than any auctioneer can sell bulls at any seedstock

BY PATXI LARROCEA- PHILLIPS

sale I have sat ringside to. There are over 200 pieces of legislation printed and a healthy number on the way forward still as I write this in mid-February. In all of this slurry, it has been critical for ICA to be a resource and provide any education that is necessary for legislators that are seeking information regarding the cattle industry and our policies.

There are several things that simply must be completed when the legislature comes to town to conduct business. One of the spotlights is on the budget setting work that the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee is tasked with. The word joint in the name provides great context in that there are both House and Senate members that sit on this committee. Historically, the committee voted together, and it only took a simple majority to pass a budget. However, new leadership this year has argued that House and Senate members should vote as separate bodies with both needing to sustain a simple majority to pass a budget bill. The final decision that was reached is a blend of how it was, and what was proposed. House and Senate Majority leadership have determined that the best plan is to utilize the joint voting procedure as completed in the past, but going forward the votes for both bodies will be announced separately. This means the budget bill only needs a simple majority to pass the committee, but if the bill did not pass one of the bodies, it will be sent to the body from which the majority members did not pass the bill and that body would decide on its course of action.

Currently, there have been several pieces of legislation that have been introduced and printed that would affect members of the ICA. S1063 that deals with barbed wire fences was introduced this past week. S1063 would update certain sections of code that deal with careless exposure of barbed wire fences. There have been several reports of individuals who have released cattle into grazing pastures without taking a gander at the fence. As a result, the cattle escape and if they are on or near a road, individuals have used the open range statute as a shield to argue against simply fixing the fence. This was not the intended purpose of open range, and it should be our duty as stewards of those pastures to check the fence before unloading the cattle into the pasture.

Public lands have been in high demand since 2020. A majority of users understand and respect the lands, and the assets fixed to the land that could include a gate, water trough or corral. However, on the other side of the coin more bad actions have seen the light of day and have become burdensome on public staff. S1049 was introduced in early February and passed out of committee in mid-February heading for the Senate floor. S1049 gives the State Board of Land Commissioners’ agents the ability to cite and fine those misusing the endowment lands. The legislation states that the State Board of Land Commissioners must provide notice to the public of any restrictions, closures, prohibitions, and regulations on State endowment land. Proper posting is required, and fines and restitution requirements are outlined.

I continue to hear chatter from several members that the bodies are pushing for a March 24 adjournment. That gives us 40 days, of which a quarter of those are weekends, to complete this process. Efficiency will be key, and grit will be needed because there will be days when we will feel like we have been bucked off, but it will be essential to mount back up if we are going to stay in it for the long haul.