A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
THE WEST
Idaho special session aims for tax cut, ed spending
BY KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press
BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad
Little on Tuesday, Aug. 23
called a special session of
the Legislature starting next
week aimed at using part of
the state’s projected $2 billion
budget surplus for a record
$500 million income tax re-
bate this year to help residents
cope with increased food and
gas prices due to inflation.
The Republican governor
also proposed a tax cut of
more than $150 million an-
nually by creating a corporate
and individual flat tax rate of
5.8% starting next year. The
corporate tax rate is curren-
lty 6%, the same rate for the
state’s highest income bracket.
Under the bill, the first $2,500
of income for individuals and
$5,000 for people filing jointly
would be exempt from taxes.
Little wants to bolster K-12
public schools and post-sec-
ondary education with $410
million annually from sales
taxes starting next year. Of
the $410 million, $330 mil-
lion is proposed for K-12 and
$80 million for post-second-
ary education.
The proposed bill already
has enough co-sponsors in
the 70-member House and
35-member Senate to make
it to the governor’s desk for
Little’s signature. Significantly,
among those co-sponsors are
enough members in a House
committee and Senate com-
mittee to make sure the bill
moves to the floor of the re-
spective chambers for a full
vote by all members.
Little said the tax cuts will
help Idaho residents deal with
high prices, and that the ed-
ucation investments will help
the state’s efforts to boost
workforce development train-
ing during times of economic
uncertainty.
“Folks, this is conservative
governing in action,” Little
told reporters at an event to
announce the tax breaks that
was held in a parking lot next
to a gas station where mo-
torists pumped gas. “Use the
record surplus brought on by
prudent management to pro-
Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman, FIle
Gov. Brad Little delivers the annual State of the State address to the Idaho Legislature and the citizens of Idaho on Jan. 10, 2022, at the State-
house in Boise.
vide immediate and ongoing
record tax relief and make
historic investments in educa-
tion while cutting taxes.”
Language in Little’s proc-
lamation calling the special
session cites high inflation,
currently about 8.5%.
“Idaho taxpayers and the
education system are espe-
cially imperiled by the conse-
quences of historic inflation,”
Little’s proclamation stated.
Democratic Sen. Janie
Ward-Engelking, a retired
teacher and education ad-
vocate who took part in the
news conference, is one of the
bill’s dozens of co-sponsors.
“I have to look at what re-
ally works for children in this
state, and we know that being
51st in the nation in per-pupil
expenditures for kids is not
good,” she said. “So this in-
vestment in education is huge
to me.”
The Legislature, when it
meets in regular session in
January, will decide how to
spend the education money,
and it’s possible a new group
of lawmakers following the
November election could at-
tempt to cut education spend-
ing by the $410 million in
other areas.
“I’m trusting the governor,”
Ward-Engelking said. “He
said he will veto a bill that
doesn’t increase education
funding by this amount of
money.”
Idaho is experiencing
rapid population growth, but
Ward-Engelking said many
young people are leaving the
state and that many of them
college students. She said in-
creased education spending
could limit the departures.
Republican House Speaker
Scott Bedke, who is running
for lieutenant governor, told
reporters Idaho residents
could expect tax rebates rel-
atively soon, possibly by the
end of September.
“What this (bill) does is it
signals that we support ed-
ucation going forward, and
we recognize that inflation is
hard not only on citizens but
also on our businesses and
our schools, and this gets di-
rect help,” he said.
The special session is set
to start on Sept. 1, ahead of
the November election when
all of Idaho’s 105 state legisla-
tive seats are up for election
as well as the governor and
other statewide elected offi-
cials.
Also on the ballot in No-
vember is an initiative called
the Quality Education Ini-
tiative that backers have
said would boost education
funding by raising taxes on
corporations and individu-
als making $250,000 or more
annually. Backers say Idaho
schools are badly under-
funded and that the initiative
would raise more than $300
million.
If passed by voters, it would
take effect Jan. 1. However, if
lawmakers in the special ses-
sion approve the proposed
bill and Little signs it, it would
take effect Jan. 3, negating
and replacing the initiative.
Little said there was no
connection between the bal-
lot initiative and the proposed
changes in taxes and educa-
tion funding. But he said he
preferred the proposed bill to
the ballot initiative because it
would lower taxes instead of
raising them.
Property taxes and grocery
taxes, two prominent Idaho
issues over the last several
years, are not addressed in
the bill. Little said the com-
plexities involved with those
taxes make them difficult for
a special session aimed at re-
turning money quickly to res-
idents.
Republican Senate Presi-
dent Pro-Tem Chuck Winder,
who supports the proposed
bill, said there is still bud-
get-surplus money remaining
in the state’s coffers and that
he expected property taxes
and grocery taxes to be con-
sidered in the regular session
in January.
“We’re still going to have
over a billion dollars to deal
with property tax,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure the grocery
tax issue will come back up.
We’re going to have money to
do different things and main-
tain our rainy-day funds.”
Little restricted the special
session to the one topic only
as he is allowed to do under
the Idaho Constitution. But
lawmakers could try to use
the session to raise other con-
cerns.
Little in February signed
into law what was then the
biggest tax cut in the state’s
history — a combined $600
million that included a one-
time $350 million in tax re-
bates and $250 million in
permanent income tax re-
ductions going forward for
people and businesses. That’s
on top of tax cuts in 2021,
which combined with the tax
cuts enacted earlier this year
reached nearly $1 billion.
If the new tax rebates and
cuts are approved, tax relief
under Little would climb to
more than $1.5 billion.
Deputies may
have stopped
mass shooting
at Gorge
GEORGE, Wash. (AP) —
The Grant County Sheriff’s
Office in Washington state
believes its deputies stopped
a man from carrying out a
mass shooting at the Gorge
Amphitheater Friday night,
Aug. 19.
The sheriff’s office said peo-
ple at the event and security
personnel told them at around
9 p.m. of a man in the parking
lot near his vehicle, KOIN-TV
reported.
Witnesses saw the man in-
hale an unknown substance
from a balloon and then load
two 9mm pistols from the
trunk of his car, according to
the sheriff’s office.
Witnesses also told investi-
gators the man put one gun in
the waistband of his pants and
the other in a holster that was
outside his waistband.
Witnesses say he then ap-
proached concertgoers and
asked what time the concert
ended and where they would
be leaving the venue.
The sheriff’s office said the
man, identified as Jonathan
Moody of Ephrata, Washing-
ton, was stopped by security
outside the gates and dis-
armed. The sheriff’s office said
no one was injured.
After investigating, depu-
ties arrested Moody on suspi-
cion of one count of posses-
sion of a dangerous weapon
and one count of unlawful
carrying or handling of a
weapon. Moody was lodged
in the Grant County Jail. It
wasn’t immediately known if
he has a lawyer to comment
on his behalf.
The event happened at the
Gorge Amphitheater’s con-
cert series Bass Canyon, and
electronic dance music festi-
val. The outdoor venue holds
about 25,000 people.
The Gorge Amphitheater
does not allow weapons on
site.
Moody did not make any
statements to deputies, the
agency said.
Baker County
CHURCH
DIRECTORY
Elkhorn Baptist
Church
Sunday School 10 am
Morning Worship 11 am
Evening Worship 6 pm
Discovery Kids Worship
6:30 pm
3520 Birch St, Baker City
541-523-4332
Baker & Haines
United
Methodist
Churches
Baker UMC, 1919 2nd St, at 11am
Haines UMC, 814 Robert St, at 9am
To join us on Zoom email
bakerumc@thegeo.net
and the link will be emailed to you
or follow us on Facebook
EARLY WORSHIP
GATHERING
WORSHIP
GATHERING
8:30 AM
10:00
AM
SECOND WORSHIP GATHERING
Harvest Cafe Open
10:30 AM
AM
- 9:50
Harvest 9:00
Cafe open
30 minutes
before AM
each service
3720 Birch St, Baker City
541-523-4233
www.BakerCityHarvest.org
CHRISTIAN
SCIENCE CHURCH
Sunday Service
10:00 am
www.ChristianScience.com
3rd & Washington, Baker City
541-523-5911
Pastor Michele Holloway
Sunday Worship
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
First Service 8:30 am
2nd Service & Sunday School
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am
Jr. High & High School Youth
Tues 6:30 pm
Youth Pastor Silas Moe
1995 4th Street, Baker City
541-523-5201
10:00 am
675 Hwy 7, Baker City • 541-523-5425
firstpresbaker.blogspot.com
SEVENTH-DAY
ADVENTIST
CHURCH
Saturday Worship
11:00 am
www.bakercitysda.com
17th & Pocahontas, Baker City
541-523-4913
St. Francis De
Sales Cathedral
Daily Masses:
M, T, Th, F 9 am
Day Chapel in Cathedral
Wed Daily Mass 9 am
at St. Alphonsus Chapel
Sat 8 am at Day Chapel
Baker City Saturday Mass 6 pm
Baker City Sunday Mass 9:30 am
St. Therese in Halfway 2 pm Sat
St. Anthony's in North Powder
11:30 Sun
541-523-4521
Corner of First & Church, Baker City
AGAPE
CHRISTIAN
CENTER
Sunday Services
10:00 am & 6:30 pm
South Highway 7,
Baker City
541-523-6586
SAINT
ALPHONSUS
HOSPITAL CHAPEL
Services at 9 am
1st & 3rd Sundays, Holy Eucharist
2nd & 4th Sundays, Morning Prayer
5th Sunday, Morning Prayer
2177 First Street • Baker City
Entrance on 1st Street
Corner Church & First Streets
541-523-4812
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS
Sunday Worship
9:45am
9 - 11 AM - Baker City 1st Ward
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM - Baker City 2nd Ward
Noon - 2 PM - Baker Valley Ward
EVERYONE WELCOME
2625 Hughes Lane, Baker City
541-523-2397
Live Streaming on
Facebook
St. Alphonsus Hospital in
Baker City
Established
1904
Family History Center
Everything Free
Tues & Fri 1-4 PM
Wed & Thurs 10 AM - 1 PM
Wed Evenings 5-8 PM
Service at 10 am
Open to all patients,
family and friends for
reflection and prayer.
St. Stephen’s
Episcopal
Sunday School
8:30am
Coffee is 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Pastor Troy Teeter
1250 Hughes Lane, Baker City
(Corner of Cedar & Hughes)
541-523-3533
www.bakernaz.com
FIRST
LUTHERAN
CHURCH
1734 Third Street, Baker City
541-523-3922
firstlutheranbakercity@gmail.com
ST. BRIGID’S IN THE
PINES COMMUNITY
CHURCH
11:30 a.m. Services
1st & 3rd Sunday
Holy Eucharist
(541)
East Auburn Street, Sumpter
541-523-4812
A Mission of St. Stephen's Episcopal
Church in Baker City
Third & Broadway
541-523-3891
Third & Broadway
Sundays
541-523-3891
9 AM Sunday School
10 AM Worship Service
Mondays
6:30 - 8 PM
Baker Teens Underground
Wednesdays
5:30-6:30 PM Dinner & Prayer Time
Thursdays
5 - 6 PM Free Community Dinner
6 - 7 PM Celebrate Recovery
bakercalvarybaptist.com
The church directory is published once monthly. Information for this directory is provided by participating churches, please call 541-523-3673 for more information.
Thank you to the participating churches and these sponsors:
Whelan Electric, Inc.
523-5756 • CCB 103032
Cliff’s Saws & Cycles
2619 Tenth • 523-2412
1950 Place • 523-4300
1500 Dewey • 523-3677