Right now: Procedural argument in the House over 960 bill

Right now live on TVW, you can watch the procedural debate in the House over whether the bill to suspend Initiative 960 for a year should be referred to the Finance committee.

“I think if we’re going to have such an important bill that will come through this body, it should go to the proper committee,” said Rep. Bill Hinkle. He said people at home are frustrated at how this bill has moved through the Legislature.

“The bill under consideration today … is a bill related to taxes, to revenue,” said Rep. Ross Hunter, who is the chairman of the House Finance Committee. “You could have referred it to the Ways & Means Committee,” but, he said, it wouldn’t have been the most logical choice.

“I’ve been asked why we’re doing this,” Rep. Richard DeBolt said. “We have ideas on where this bill should go … but we also want people to understand that if you have a minority voice here, it’s not … necessarily our ability to impact the system,” he said. DeBolt said the initiative was about creating “balance and voice” for the citizens and Legislature.

Rep. Norma Smith said when people are considering their future — whether of their business or family — they look at whether a state is stable. She said raising taxes “will have a chilling effect on economic development. So when we look at where we’re going to send this bill, we have to understand … this is about creating opportunity, taking a serious look in economic development committee about the impact this legislation will have,” she said.

Rep. Glenn Anderson: “If, in fact, you tax more of something, you get less of it.” He said the bill should be referred to the Economic Development Committee.

Rep. Lynn Kessler said she doesn’t “play games” when making committee referrals. “This bill belongs in Finance, and that’s after 12 years of doing referrals.”

Tags: 960