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H0086.........................................by RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION IRRIGATION DISTRICTS - Amends existing law relating to irrigation districts to revise procedures relating to the qualification of voters. 02/01 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing 02/02 Rpt prt - to Res/Con 02/08 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg 02/09 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg 02/12 3rd rdg - PASSED - 63-0-7 AYES -- Anderson, Barrett, Bayer, Bedke, Bell, Black, Block, Bock, Boe, Bolz, Brackett, Chadderdon, Chavez, Chew, Clark, Collins, Crane, Durst, Edmunson, Eskridge, Hagedorn, Hart, Harwood, Henbest, Henderson, Jaquet, Killen, King, Kren, Labrador, Lake, LeFavour, Loertscher, Luker, Marriott, Mathews, McGeachin, Moyle, Nielsen, Nonini, Pasley-Stuart, Patrick, Pence, Raybould, Ring, Ringo, Roberts, Ruchti, Rusche, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd(2), Shepherd(8), Shirley, Shively, Smith(30), Smith(24), Stevenson, Thayn, Vander Woude, Wood(27), Wood(35), Mr. Speaker NAYS -- None Absent and excused -- Andrus, Bilbao, Bradford, Mortimer, Snodgrass, Trail, Wills Floor Sponsor - Stevenson Title apvd - to Senate 02/13 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Res/Env 03/06 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg 03/07 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg 03/15 3rd rdg - PASSED - 34-0-1 AYES -- Andreason, Bair, Bilyeu, Broadsword, Burkett, Cameron, Coiner, Corder, Darrington, Davis, Fulcher, Gannon, Geddes, Goedde, Hammond, Heinrich, Hill, Jorgenson, Kelly, Keough, Langhorst, Little, Lodge, Malepeai, McGee, McKague, McKenzie, Pearce, Richardson, Schroeder, Siddoway, Stegner, Stennett, Werk NAYS -- None Absent and excused -- Bastian Floor Sponsor - Coiner Title apvd - to House 03/16 To enrol - Rpt enrol - Sp signed 03/19 Pres signed - To Governor 03/23 Governor signed Session Law Chapter 160 Effective: 07/01/07
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]] Fifty-ninth Legislature First Regular Session - 2007IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 86 BY RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE 1 AN ACT 2 RELATING TO IRRIGATION DISTRICTS; AMENDING SECTION 43-111, IDAHO CODE, TO 3 REVISE PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE QUALIFICATIONS OF VOTERS. 4 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 5 SECTION 1. That Section 43-111, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby 6 amended to read as follows: 7 43-111. QUALIFICATIONS OF VOTERS -- VOTES BASED ON ASSESSED ACRES. (1) No 8 person shall be entitled to vote at any election held under the provisions of 9 this title for the purpose of electing directors, for the purpose of determin- 10 ing whether indebtedness shall be created or bonds issued by the district, or 11 for any other purpose, unless he shall possess all the qualifications required 12 of electors under the general laws of the state, and own land within the dis- 13 trict, or the proposed district, and be a resident of the county in which the 14 district, or a portion thereof, is located for a period of thirty (30) or more 15 days next preceding the election; provided that, in districts of fifteen thou-16sand (15,000) acres or less,the bylaws may, by resolution of two-thirds (2/3) 17 of the board and adoption by two-thirds (2/3) of the electors voting in a dis- 18 trict election conducted in accordance with the general election laws of the 19 state applicable to irrigation districts, set forth a provision allowing a 20 district landowner to vote, if the landowner possesses all the qualifications 21 required of electors under the general laws of the state and has resided 22 within fifteen (15) miles of the district for a period of at least thirty (30) 23 days prior to the election. 24 (2) After approval by a majority of the electors voting upon the issue in 25 a district election conducted using the elector criteria of subsection (1) of 26 this section, in subsequent district elections, a person having the qualifica- 27 tions described in subsection (1) of this section shall have the right to cast 28 one (1) vote for each acre of assessed land and a proportionate vote for each 29 fraction of an acre of assessed land owned by him within the district. Co- 30 owners or multiple owners of parcels of land shall cast no more than the total 31 number of votes represented by the acres or fraction of acres of assessed land 32 within the district.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE RS 16801 As farming operations change, the pool of qualified voters who live within the boundaries of an irrigation district and are eligible to serve on the board of directors is shrinking. Under Idaho Code 43-111, irrigation districts of fifteen thousand (15,000) acres or less have an option to amend their bylaws to allow electors who live within fifteen (15) miles of the district to vote. The purpose of this legislation is to remove the acreage limitation so that all irrigation districts have the option to change their voter qualifications. FISCAL NOTE This legislation will have no fiscal impact on the state. Contact Name: Rep. John A. Stevenson Phone: 332-1000 Lynn Tominaga 381-0294 Idaho Ground Water Appropriators STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE H 86