{"id":15800,"date":"2013-02-19T06:30:57","date_gmt":"2013-02-19T13:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=15800"},"modified":"2013-07-19T16:28:13","modified_gmt":"2013-07-19T22:28:13","slug":"with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/","title":{"rendered":"With $140,000 On The Line, Idaho Girl Scouts Try Their Hand At Lobbying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 16%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-15800 gallery-columns-6 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/phone-training\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Phone-Training-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Phone-Training-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Phone-Training-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Phone-Training-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15807'>\n\t\t\t\tThese young Girl Scouts brush-up on their phone-banking skills. \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/capitol-scouts\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Capitol-Scouts-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15824\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Capitol-Scouts-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Capitol-Scouts-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Capitol-Scouts-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15824'>\n\t\t\t\tMakayla Williams and Brenda Bennett handed out cookies and talked with lawmakers at the Capitol on President&#8217;s Day.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/girl-scout-pledge\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Girl-Scout-Pledge-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15805\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Girl-Scout-Pledge-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Girl-Scout-Pledge-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Girl-Scout-Pledge-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15805'>\n\t\t\t\tA Girl Scout rally wouldn&#8217;t be complete without the Girl Scout pledge. &#8220;On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.&#8221; \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/kkelly-hmurray\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/KKelly-HMurray-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15806\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/KKelly-HMurray-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/KKelly-HMurray-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/KKelly-HMurray-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15806'>\n\t\t\t\tKatryna Kelly, 13, and Hailey Murray, 12, are in the same troop. Both girls sold hundreds of boxes of cookies last year.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/counting-money\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Counting-Money-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Counting-Money-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Counting-Money-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Counting-Money-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15804'>\n\t\t\t\tThese Scouts learn how to count change for their future customers. \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/cookie-boxes\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Cookie-Boxes-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Cookie-Boxes-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Cookie-Boxes-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Cookie-Boxes-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15803'>\n\t\t\t\tCosette is 8-years-old and recently became a Girl Scout. Here&#8217;s why she joined, &#8220;You get to learn new friends, and you get to sell some cookies, and maybe eat some.&#8221; \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/clappingcircle\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/ClappingCircle-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/ClappingCircle-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/ClappingCircle-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/ClappingCircle-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15802'>\n\t\t\t\tA song-circle formed before the rally kicked off. \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/19\/with-140000-on-the-line-idaho-girl-scouts-try-their-hand-at-lobbying\/badges\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Badges-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-15801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Badges-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Badges-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2013\/02\/Badges-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-15801'>\n\t\t\t\tThese are Naomi Winkler&#8217;s badges. She&#8217;s in 6th grade and has been a Girl Scout for four years. \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Famous for its potatoes, trout fishing, and blue AstroTurf, Idaho might not have much in common with Hawaii. But here\u2019s one thing: Idaho and Hawaii are the only two states in the country <a title=\"Girl Scout Cookies Sold In Idaho? There\u2019s A Tax On That\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/07\/girl-scout-cookies-sold-in-idaho-theres-a-tax-on-that\/\" target=\"_blank\">to tax Girl Scout Cookies<\/a>. Now, some local Scouts are beefing up their sales pitches and learning to lobby.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F85343878&amp;color=17807e&amp;auto_play=false&amp;show_artwork=false\" height=\"166\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Girl Scouts across the country are getting amped up to sell as many boxes of their famed Samoas, Thin Mints, and Tag-a-longs as they possibly can. They have about a month to close the deal with neighbors, friends and grandmothers.<\/p>\n<p><em><\/em><div class=\"related-content alignleft\"><h4 class=\"related-header\">Related<\/h4><div class=\"links\"><h5>Posts<\/h5><ul><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/07\/girl-scout-cookies-sold-in-idaho-theres-a-tax-on-that\/\">Girl Scout Cookies Sold In Idaho? There&#8217;s A Tax On That<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2013\/02\/12\/a-sales-tax-exemption-for-anti-abortion-resource-clinics-passes-the-house\/\">A Sales Tax Exemption For Anti-Abortion Resource Clinics Passes The Idaho House<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/04\/04\/session-wrap-lawmakers-expand-tax-exemptions\/\">Session Wrap: Lawmakers Expand Tax Exemptions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"topics\"><h5>Topics<\/h5><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2012\/05\/158263336.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/topic\/tax-exemptions\/\">Your Guide To Idaho&#8217;s Tax Exemptions<\/a><\/p><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/files\/2011\/10\/WallaceID_ChadCase_Getty-60x60.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/topic\/sales-tax\/\">Your Guide to Idaho&#8217;s Sales Tax<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n<p>At a recent cookie event near Boise &#8212; think Girl Scout-style pep rally &#8212; more than 100 kids, some as young as kindergarteners, donned their badged-sashes and met at a middle-school cafeteria. They learned how to count change, fill out order forms, set goals for the cookie season, and did some singing too.<\/p>\n<p><em><\/em>The Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, the council in southern Idaho, know all about selling cookies door-to-door, and now, they\u2019re learning about state tax policy. The sales tax to be exact.<\/p>\n<p>I asked some of the Scouts to tell me everything they knew about Idaho&#8217;s sales tax.<br \/>\n<em><\/em>For 8-year-old Cosette, it&#8217;s not much. &#8220;It\u2019s like taxes? That\u2019s all I know about it.&#8221;<em> <\/em><\/p>\n<p>But 12-year-old Hailey Murray has clearly been paying attention. She rattled off the specifics of Idaho&#8217;s sales tax with ease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you buy something from the store and it\u2019s a dollar, you have to pay an additional 6 cents,&#8221; Murray says. &#8220;I kind of think it\u2019s a downer because instead of paying a dollar you have to pull out another 6 cents.\u201d<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Murray isn\u2019t the only one who thinks it\u2019s a downer. The Scouts in Idaho are lobbying state lawmakers to get rid of the state\u2019s <a title=\"Your Guide to Idaho\u2019s Sales Tax\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/topic\/sales-tax\/\" target=\"_blank\">6 percent sales tax<\/a> on Girl Scout cookies. \u00a0The tax here amounts to 22 cents per box.<\/p>\n<p>To change the policy, the Girl Scouts will have to go through Rep. Gary Collins (R-Nampa). His committee, House Revenue and Taxation, is the gatekeeper for all new <a title=\"Your Guide To Idaho\u2019s Tax Exemptions\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/topic\/tax-exemptions\/\" target=\"_blank\">tax exemptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Judging by the four boxes of Girl Scout cookies on his desk, he\u2019s well aware of the issue.<em><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been here for 12 years, and I\u2019ve been looking for that graft they talk about politicians getting,&#8221; Collins says with a smile, &#8220;I guess that\u2019s what you\u2019d call that. Four boxes of cookies. And I haven\u2019t ate any of them either.\u201d<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><\/em>Collins plans to let his committee at least see the proposal to <a title=\"Your Guide To Idaho\u2019s Tax Exemptions\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/topic\/tax-exemptions\/\" target=\"_blank\">exempt Idaho Girl Scout cookies<\/a> from the sales tax, but he doesn\u2019t know if it will go further than that. The Scouts in Idaho sell about $2.5 million worth of cookies each year, and $140,000 of that goes to the state.<\/p>\n<p>On their President&#8217;s Day off from school, some Girl Scouts set up shop in the state Capitol rotunda to hand out free boxes of cookies to lawmakers and answer questions.\u00a0 Little did they know they\u2019d become tax policy experts <em>and<\/em> lobbyists this year.<\/p>\n<p>While the girls did their part to sway legislators, Julie Hart, a professional lobbyist working for free on behalf of Idaho\u2019s Girl Scouts, looked on.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith $140,000, what could the state do for these girls, or what could Girl Scouts do for these girls?\u201d asked Hart. &#8220;I think the answer to that question is Girl Scouts will be able to do a lot more for these girls than the state could.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some of the Girl Scouts have a few ideas about how they could spend that $140,000 that gets paid in taxes each year. Things like service projects, troop camping trips, and donating to the local food bank. Hailey Murray has some fun ideas too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I think you could probably, like, buy millions of cookies,&#8221; says Murray. &#8220;And then maybe buy a Girl Scout house, or Girl Scout items like clothing or something&#8230;you could really buy anything.\u201d<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Idaho\u2019s Girl Scouts will have to wait and see if their lobbying efforts pay off.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re not the only fundraiser that\u2019s taxed here. Popcorn sold by the Boy Scouts is taxed, too, along with all other sales of magazines or food.<\/p>\n<p>But then again, nothing tastes quite like a Thin Mint or a Samoa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Famous for its potatoes, trout fishing, and blue AstroTurf, Idaho might not have much in common with Hawaii. But here\u2019s one thing: Idaho and Hawaii are the only two states in the country to tax Girl Scout Cookies. Now, some local Scouts are beefing up their sales pitches and learning to lobby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":15805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[210,94,163],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15800"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}