Idaho Rep. Phil Hart, embroiled in a dispute over unpaid federal and state taxes, voted on new state tax rules earlier this year that could affect cases like his, without first declaring a conflict of interest.
The Athol Republican was on a subcommittee during the 2010 Legislature that backed, among other rules, a measure altering how Idaho handles income-tax settlements over $50,000.
He cast the deciding vote at a time he was facing an order to pay $53,000 in back taxes.
Hart, who is in the midst of a legislative inquiry, said his vote on the subcommittee of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee didn’t represent a conflict, because his case had already advanced beyond the point of a possible settlement.
Public records show Hart owes about $700,000 in back federal and state income taxes, penalties and interest.
A seven-lawmaker House Ethics Committee – four Republicans and three Democrats – will convene Thursday to consider whether Hart had conflicts of interest in the Legislature due to his tax problems. It will also consider whether he abused the legislative privilege from arrest or civil process during sessions by invoking it repeatedly to win delays in his state and federal tax cases.
The panel could take actions ranging from doing nothing to recommending Hart’s ejection from office; the full House would have to vote on any committee recommendation. (AP)
