BOISE, Idaho — More back and forth happening in the Idaho Legislature as the Senate on Monday killed one bill and amended another.
Overall, the Senate proposed eight amendments to Senate Bill 1204, which is the original bill to pass Medicaid expansion with very few restrictions. Of the eight proposed, only six were approved by the Senate.
Those amendments include things like adding a work requirement, something that was not included in the original version of SB 1204. Other amendments would add a legislative review of Medicaid expansion after Jan. 1, 2023; it would require a referral for family planning services; it would also allow Idahoans between the 100 and 138 percentile of the federal poverty level to have the option to stay on the state insurance exchange.
Another change would be that it wouldn't pull people off Medicaid who didn't meet the 20-hour work requirement, but they would instead be subject to a co-pay fee.
“I’m concerned about that because that co-pay could range up to $30 per visit, and that’s frankly a concern for me,” said Sen. Fred Martin (R - Boise), the original sponsor of the Senate bill.
He said he does not agree with the amendments.
“To me, [Senate Bill] 1204 before amended was truly a compromise," Martin explained. "This could be interpreted by some as a compromise but it’s maybe a little bit too far for me to support.”
Other senators, like Maryanne Jordan (D - Boise), also agree the changes ruined the intention of the original bill.
“SB 1204 when it first came to the Senate, it was a compromise that all the parties could agree on," she said. "It was okay with everybody. We were ready to go. The amendments have changed it into a completely different bill.
“The most important thing to note about this today is all of these amendments came through with no fiscal analysis whatsoever," Jordan continued. "So this bill is on the floor for debate with no idea how much it’s going to cost, which we find to be pretty irresponsible.”
RELATED: Senate committee kills Idaho Medicaid expansion bill that would have required recipients to work
Martin said about a month ago, the Senate sent Medicaid funding bill to the House for approval and the House has still not taken it up. The Senate has already agreed to clean Medicaid expansion but the House has not.
Both Martin and Jordan said the amendments to SB 1204 are likely a way to try and find some common ground between the two sides. But Martin said he stands by the original bill he proposed - with no Medicaid restrictions.
“We don’t always get our way," he said. "It takes a majority. It takes 18 senators and 35 in the House to agree, plus the governor to get something enacted. So is 1204 as amended in the senate that compromise that may pass? It doesn’t for me. But others will have to decide.”
The Senate was set to discuss the amendments to SB 1204 on Monday afternoon but took up another bill first: House Bill 289.
That bill proposes $10.6 million of the state's general fund be used for renovations to the Statehouse, including expanded office space for House members and relocating the State Treasurer's office out of the Capitol building.
The bill was introduced to the Senate floor and opened up for debate. Only one senator, Michelle Stennett (D - Ketchum), spoke about it during that time.
“I find it incredibly revealing and odd that the price tag on this is almost the exact price tag of six months of Medicaid expansion," she said.
While voting, Sen. Jim Guthrie (R - Inkom) stood up to explain his "nay" vote.
“We have a constitutional officer and House leadership at odds with one another over this and this has been documented for months and months," he said. "I don’t think this is resolved to the point this should move forward. I’m very disappointed the way we’ve went about this. This senator votes no.”
Jordan also voted no and explained her reasons.
“I understand the need for the office space," she said. "But I am incredibly frustrated with the fact that three weeks ago we sent a Medicaid budget over [to the House] and we still haven’t seen it yet. I can’t quite get past the fact we’re being asked to do this before they can shake that loose, so this senator votes no.”
None who voted yes to the bill talked about their vote.
The bill failed with a 17 to 18 vote.
After the vote, the Senate went at ease for a time. When they came back on the floor, Sen. Lee Heider (R - Twin Falls) called for a reconsideration of the vote.
The Senate then recessed and several senators met in President Pro Tem Brent Hill's office to discuss it.
After the recess, the Senate came back to the floor but adjourned with no further discussion on the House appropriations bill and no discussion at all on the Medicaid amendments.
Jordan said the Senate will likely discuss the Medicaid amendments on Tuesday.
If the amended version of the bill passes, it would then go to a House committee and then possibly, to the House floor for a vote.