Sen. Dan Foreman: 'We have to give up the fat'

MOSCOW - The newest member of Idaho's 5th Legislative District delegation continued his calls for fiscal restraint and "cutting the fat" during a meeting of the Moscow League of Women Voters on Wednesday.

First-term Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, told about 90 people at the 1912 Center that he opposed legislation this session authorizing another $300 million in GARVEE debt financing to pay for transportation improvements.

"Forget about more GARVEE," he said. "What we need to do - and you're not going to like this answer - is learn to live within our means. If we want good roads and bridges, we need to give up something else. We have to give up the fat."

Foreman opposed about 40 percent of the budget bills presented during the 2017 legislative session - including the higher education budget that helps fund the University of Idaho and the state's other public colleges and universities. Many of the bills, he said, contained "too much pork."

"Depending on whose numbers you use, we grew government by close to 10 percent," he said. "That's absurd. I voted no on a lot of bills and took a lot of heat for it, but I'll go back next year and do it again."

The conservative Idaho Freedom Foundation estimated that the fiscal 2018 budget grew government by about 9 percent, after one-time expenditures were removed. Overall general fund spending, however, increased 5.4 percent year-over-year.

The purpose of Wednesday's meeting was to review the 2017 legislative session and take questions from the audience. Foreman was joined by 5th District Reps. Paulette Jordan, D-Plummer, and Caroline Troy, R-Genesee.

After lengthy introductory remarks, only about 15 minutes remained for audience questions. Besides infrastructure improvements, science standards were another topic of interest.

The House and Senate education committees rejected five proposed science standards this session dealing with climate change and human influences on the environment. The decision prompted widespread outcry from people who felt the move was a rejection of science for purely ideological reasons.

None of the 5th District lawmakers sits on the education committees. Rep. Troy, however, said she listened to the committee hearing and spoke with committee members afterward.

"They reviewed 370 proposed science rules, including 15 dealing with climate change," she said. "What they told me was they felt the majority of the standards encouraged students to think for themselves and understand different perspectives. Their concerns with five rules in particular was that they didn't encourage students to look at all sides of the issue."

Jordan said she respects other people's beliefs, but she opposed the recent constitutional amendment that solidified the Legislature's authority to reject or approve administrative rules.

"It's a way to have our hands in two pots," she said, referring to the legislative and executive branches of government.

Once lawmakers approve a bill, Jordan explained, executive branch agencies propose rules to implement those policies. Those rules then come back to the Legislature for review.

"They come back to us and we get to interject ideology," she said.

Supporters of the constitutional amendment - which passed last year by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent - said the rules review process ensures that agency regulations truly reflect the Legislature's intent.

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Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.