Bill Changing Ballot Initiative Requirements Heads to Full Idaho House

Last week, SB 1110, a bill that would change the requirements for getting a ballot initiative on the ballot cleared the Idaho Senate.

The bill is being sponsored by State Senator Steve Vick (R-Dalton Gardens). Vick has said the primary reason for the bill is to ensure that rural Idaho has a voice in the initiative process.

Opponents say the bill will stifle grassroots efforts to do initiatives and only groups with large amounts of money will be able to pull them off.

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Today, the House State Affairs Committee debated the measure and sent the bill to the full Idaho House on a vote of 12-2 on a party-line vote.

SB 1110 was the only bill on the docket in Chairman Brent Crane’s (R-Nampa) State Affairs Committee as large amounts of public testimony were expected.

Of the citizens who testified, most of the testimony was against SB 1110. Several testifiers did speak in favor of SB 1110.

Reclaim Idaho is one of the primary groups trying to stop SB 1110 and the Farm Bureau is one of the primary groups supporting SB 1110.

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Black Lives Matter – Boise, the Lemi County Democrats, the Conservation Voters of Idaho, and the ACLU also testified against SB 1110.

The Food Producers of Idaho also testified in favor of the bill.

SB 1110 now heads to the full Idaho House. If it passes the Idaho House it then goes to Governor Brad Little for consideration.

Little has vetoed other legislation in previous sessions