Idaho Governor Brad Little has called a special session to address rising inflation.
Legislators will address tax cuts and investments in education.
In a statement Little says Idaho has a $2 billion surplus, higher than expected. He proposed short and long-term tax cuts. First, minimum rebates of $300 dollars per a person, as well as cutting the state income tax rate from 6 percent to 5.8 percent.
In a statement, the Idaho Education Association said the investment is the first step in fixing long-standing structural funding problems in the state’s public-school system.
Some say the governor’s proposed education investment is similar to the Quality Education Act, an initiative on the November ballot that would make a similarly large, continuing investment in education, but would raise the corporate tax rate.
Luke Mayville, founder of the group behind the initiative, Reclaim Idaho, says the governor’s historic investment would likely not have happened without a ballot measure.
He said there are some parts of the proposal he disagrees with, saying the tax cuts are weighted toward people already wealthy, but says overall, it’s a step in the right direction.
The special session will begin September 1 at 8 a.m.