Today marks an important milestone for the Greater Idaho movement: the House of Representatives in Idaho voted in favor of a bill that would begin consultations with Oregon to move the border between the two states to include counties in eastern Oregon that are culturally and economically similar to their counterparts in Idaho.

Below is the press release sent out today by Greater Idaho:

Idaho House passes “Greater Idaho” bill

The Idaho House of Representatives voted in favor of the “Greater Idaho” bill today. The bill, numbered HJM 1, authorizes Idaho legislators to begin talks with Oregon about relocating the state line they share.

During debate on the floor of the House, proponents of the bill cited the desirability of applying Idaho law to eastern Oregon as a way to push Oregon drug laws farther away from Idaho’s current population. They also cited an economic analysis published last week for the Claremont Institute which shows that rural Oregon counties would be a net benefit to Idaho financially.

A press release on the Greater Idaho movement’s website, greateridaho.org, said, “we are asking Oregon Legislature leaders to give this idea a hearing in Oregon. Unlike any other bill, our Oregon bill SJM 2 is supported by the votes of 11 counties, and a poll a year ago showed that 68% of northwestern Oregonian voters want their officials to look into the idea. Eastern Oregon deserves a chance to present this proposal to Oregon state leaders.”

Previous posts about Greater Idaho: