Action Alert: H68 - Elimination of Joint Legislative Oversight Committee

Action Alert: H68 - Elimination of Joint Legislative Oversight Committee

Oppose H68 2023 Idaho
Time Range For Action Alert: 
Feb 14 2023 to Feb 28 2023

HB68 – Legislation eliminates the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee (JLOC) and reassigns oversight of the Office of Performance Evaluation (OPE) to the Legislative Council and significantly changes the mission of OPE. You can read the bill here: H 68

Description:

HB68 Rewrites code 67-457 dramatically alters the function of OPE to give it responsibility to review all state contracts with a small staff, thereby making it virtually impossible to provide deeply researched performance evaluations of government programs in the future. Currently state legislators can request performance evaluations but this bill moves OPE under the Legislative Council which is controlled by whichever party is in the majority.  HB68 also removes the current 75% vote to appoint the director of OPE effectively eliminating the minority party’s role in the selection process.

Bill status:

Hearing on 2/7, the House State Affairs Committee voted to pass it onto a floor vote with a do pass recommendation along party lines. The 2/9 floor vote in House; passed 57-13 primarily along party lines with Republican Reps. Handy (D-27B) and Wisniewski (D-5B) joining the Democrats. The bill has been referred to Senate State Affairs.

League position:

Citizen’s Right to Know/Citizen Participation:

The League of Women Voters believes that democratic government depends upon informed and active participation at all levels of government. The League further believe that governmental bodies must protect the citizen’s right to know. This bill is the opposite of what the League represents. 

Take Action:

  • Email the Chairman of Senate State Affairs, Senator Jim Guthrie, JGuthrie [at] senate.idaho.gov () or call him at the Statehouse (208) 332-1348 and ask him to please hold HB68 in committee because the work of OPE is too important to informed lawmaking and to the ability to improve state government programs.  
  • If it does go to a hearing, the committee will need 3 more votes to kill it in committee. Possibilities are Senators Guthrie, Bernt and Harris. Here are their emails:

o   MHarris [at] senate.idaho.gov, Statehouse (208) 332-1429 

o   TBernt [at] senate.idaho.gov, Statehouse (208) 332-1331

o   If it goes to the Governor, write and urge a veto: Governor Little, https://gov.idaho.gov/contact-us/

Suggested message: The award-winning OPE has been in invaluable public service for 30 years under JLOC. It has a national reputation as the gold standard of nonpartisan evaluation of government services.  The legislature is better able to provide good policy because of OPE.  It does not need changing in any way.

Talking Points: 

  • HB68 will kill OPE’s ability to do deep, nonpartisan dives into the effectiveness and efficiencies of government agencies. 
  • The public, legislators, and agencies need the information that OPE provides, from their studies, to make good decisions. 
  • Past OPE reports have been comprehensive, non-political, and non-partisan, providing the credible evidence on which legislative action can be based. 
  • Past OPE reports have uncovered serious deficiencies that the legislature has used to provide significant improvements. 
  • Informed lawmaking, combined with performance evaluations, makes government smarter and more effective. 
  • Lack of staff for Idaho legislators makes the work of the OPE essential.

 

For more information, watch Rep. Ilana Rubel’s debate at https://youtu.be/_GVgYvWzo-I