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I joined these intelligent and powerful young leaders during their visit to the statehouse for Foster Care Advocacy Day. I asked them what mattered most to them:
- educational programs and classes that help students understand basic life skills like managing finances and paying taxes;
- transgender rights;
- raising wages;
- taking care of our planet and ensuring a sustainable future;
- better juvenile justice approaches;
- supporting teachers;
- improving systems for foster youth;
- ensuring quality educational and talented teachers.
We are in such good hands with these young leaders!
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This week, the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and the statewide domestic and sexual violence programs came to the Statehouse to meet with legislators and talk about the vital services they provide to support victims of violence and the programs to break the cycle of violence. Co-sponsors to H383 joined me to thank them for their service and dedication. The public hearing for H383 will be held on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 IN HOUSE JUDICIARY AND RULES.
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Celebrating 100 Years of Women's Suffrage
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The Idaho Senate passed a resolution last week making Idaho Women’s Day an official state holiday. The resolution was introduced by the Idaho State Historical Society to recognize 100 years of women’s suffrage in the United States. The commemoration will be celebrated annually on March 14th. The date was intentionally selected to honor the day in history when Idaho became the first and only in the nation to adopt a state seal designed by a woman, Emma Edwards Green. Green’s seal depicts a representation of a man and woman on an even playing field surrounded by Idaho natural resources. The image is meant to symbolize the equal roles men and women play in society.
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I was honored to join Dr. Bob Kustra for Reader's Corner this week when he interviewed author Rachel Louise Snyder, who wrote No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us.
In America, domestic violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime, and according to Snyder between 2001 and 2005, we lost 3 times as many victims to domestic violence homicide than we have lost soldiers in foreign wars. Listen to this interview and hear more about the story of domestic violence in our country, how firearms increase the risk of dangerousness, and how communities are coming together to intervene earlier. This is a powerful book! Listen to the 2 part interview to get a better feel for how we can end the cycle of violence in our country.
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Boise State Public Radio
Moving Target: The Shifting Gun Debate
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This week, I joined Heath Druzin, who reports for the project Guns & America, and Clayton Cramer, who teaches at the College of Western Idaho and has been an advocate for expanded gun rights. We had a civil discussion about our different views on firearms in the U.S. I shared my views about the importance of listening to our communities and placing reasonable restrictions on firearm possession and ownership.
I have tried to pass legislation to prevent those convicted of domestic abuse and child molestation from firearm possession, but I couldn't get the bills through both houses, which still has me shaking my head. My very conservative colleagues across the aisle continue to whittle away at any reasonable limits and want to prevent entities in city limits or otherwise to be able to restrict deadly weapons during large concerts, fairs, or other assemblies. One of the most frustrating things about the firearms discussion in our state is that it's mostly a one-sided discussion; many extreme special interest groups spread myths and misinformation about anyone who wants to place reasonable limits on firearms and use scare tactics with lawmakers if they vote for anything that would limit possession or ownership. I look forward to more discussions like the one we had this week.
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Nuking Our Education Standards
This week the House Education Committee voted down several Idaho Content Standards. These standards were written by highly skilled teachers, then taken around the State for public review and input. After public hearings, the standards were rewritten to reflect parent concerns. This was a three-year process before the standards were brought to the legislature. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars and a waste of the time and talents of the educators and parents who worked so hard on these standards to repeatedly attempt to undo them. It also puts over $200 million dollars in federal funds at risk.
Need for Idaho to Adjust for Inflation
Indexing is a way to adjust dollar amounts automatically so they keep up with inflation or other price changes. The Office of Performance Evaluation recently completed a study on the way the State accounts for inflation across many areas of government. Unfortunately, Idaho rarely adjusts price indexes, despite inflation significantly impacting any policy that references a dollar amount.
Without anyone intending it to, inflation has changed tax policy. We last set a tax credit for those with elderly or disabled dependents in 1981. This tax credit has lost 63.9 percent of its value over the years. The credit for investing in qualified broadband equipment has lost 30.5 percent of its value since it was set in 2001. At the same time, our State is in desperate need of improved broadband service in many geographic areas. The credit for donations to educational institutions was set in 2008 and has lost 29.7 percent of its value. Our educational institutions are suffering from very constrained budgets and need every bit of support we can give them.
If Idaho's tax brackets had been appropriately adjusted in 2000, we would have assessed $7.4 million dollars more in personal income taxes in 2017 alone. This is an area with broad implications and one where Idaho is behind. Some of our tax indexes are as much as 60 years old.
Failure to index, or failure to index appropriately, also has a big impact on purchasing, transportation, and public works contracts. These are major cogs of government that contract and provide services for the public.
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2020 District 19 Town Hall Meetings
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Please join me, Senator Cherie Buckner-Webb, and our newly appointed Representative Lauren Necochea, for a town hall meeting during the session. We will take your questions and share our ideas at these events! A sign language interpreter is available upon request. Please submit a request for accommodation no later than 5 days prior to the town hall meeting by emailing Chrystal Allen at allen.chrystal@gmail.com.
- Town Hall #1: Tuesday, February 11th, at 6 pm - Shadow Hills Elementary School (8301 W Sloan St, Boise, Idaho 83714)
- Town Hall #2: Tuesday, February 18th, at 6 pm - Roosevelt Elementary School (908 E Jefferson St, Boise, Idaho 83712)
- Town Hall #3: Tuesday, March 3rd, at 6 pm - Hidden Springs Elementary School (5480 W Hidden Springs Dr, Boise, Idaho 83714)
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