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Into the Dark of Night...Session Nearing a Close
The session came to end (well almost) last night just before Midnight.
After spending most of the night gutting the Library Commission budget and then passing a House resolution to "study" libraries in efforts to fetter out non-existent pornography dens, we finally recessed until Thursday, March 31.
House GOP members argued on the floor that librarians should be punished for testifying against H666, which was held in the senate. That grotesque bill would have criminalized librarians if youth under 18 accessed any adult content that might be found on shelves or on line.
It's so exhausting to see politicians so obsessed with things that aren't happening while they continue to ignore and avoid addressing REAL ISSUES that Idahoans are facing like property tax relief, health care, child care so we can return to work. Oh, right, the House killed the childcare appropriation AGAIN.
It is imperative that every legislator does their sworn duty to keep the state functional, funded, and capable of ensuring every Idahoan has the opportunity to thrive, not playing political games on the taxpayer dime for campaign platforms and fundraising. Over the last 8 years, I have seen the legislature deterioriating. We have to get back to common sense and reason and keep government out of people's personal lives and focus on creating opportunities for everyone to succeed.
Much to my disappointment, we have recessed until Thursday, March 31. I'm hoping the Governor will veto H782, but most of the Republicans want to be present to override his veto if he does...
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WEEK 11 - LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
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"Victory is the sweetest when you know defeat."
- Malcolm Forbes
My mother, born in the Great Depression, middle child of 12, taught me the value of hard work and perseverance. As I said on the Statehouse steps last week to a crowd of people discouraged and angry by the passage of the most oppressive abortion bill ever, we must PERSIST, DIG DEEP, and continue to fight for the dignity and humanity of every person.
I'm so happy that most of my legislation crossed the finish line this session. I hope it improves the lives of the people in our state and demonstrates what hard work and TEAMWORK can do.
As an Ironman finisher, I learned that Ironman isn't necessarily an individual sport, just like serving in the legislator. I may have my name on a bill, but it takes a team! It takes collaboration and sometimes, compromise.
_________ Signed by the Governor!  _________
S1240 - Racially Restrictive Covenants Null and Void
I am beyond thrilled that S1240 was signed by the Governor on March 23rd. This bill addresses racially restrictive property deeds and covenants that denied people of color from owning or living in certain properties. The 1968 Fair Housing Act made this practice illegal, but the language remains, alienating buyers to this day. This bill doesn't erase decades of racism in housing, but it does allow homeowners to file a modification document in the chain of title to declare any restrictions based on race, nationality, color, or ethnicity to be null and void. There are thousands of these racially restrictive covenants on property documents all over the state; now homeowners can visit their county clerk, and free of charge, and remove this language.
I was overjoyed to see the amount of people that came to the signing of this bill, everyone in the picture contributed to the passage of this legislation one way or another. I couldn't have done it by myself.
This is Ed and Cynthia Labenski, the good citizens that came to me with their concerns about the racist language in their deed and inspired the creation of this bill.
S1332 - Confidential Communication Protections for Victims
This bill will align state and federal law to legally protect what a victim shares with a domestic or sexual violence program when seeking services and support. That communication is already federally protected, but sometimes abusers or other parties try to subpoena information for custody battles or just to harass victims; this law would protect that communication at the state level, so programs don't have to waste resources fighting lawsuits and subpoenas when they could be spending those resources on helping their clients.
S1355 - Transparency, Commercial Transactions
This bill requires lenders to notify consumers that they still owe money on a loan that is secured by a mortgage in a foreclosure. It also requires that if the lender sells the debt to a third party, that the consumer must also be notified to try to prevent debt buyers from holding these notes for a long period of time and then surprising consumers later by trying to collect on the debt plus YEARS of interest. This bill fails to align the note with the statute of limitations on taking action on contracts, but it's a step in the right direction.
_________ Headed to the Governor's Desk  __________
S1259 - Property Tax Relief for In-Home Caregivers
Hooray!!! We finally got this bill on the House floor and it passed! This legislation removes a barrier to people 65 and older who care for adults with disabilities in their homes, so they can apply more easily for property tax relief through the "Circuit Breaker" program. I am beyond joyful thinking of all the people this will help.
I met JoAnn Vasko at a caregivers conference in 2019 when she shared with me the problems she had applying for property tax relief due to a tax policy in the state that proved to be more onerous than the federal government's policy. She lives in District 13, but I was happy to help her and all the other caregivers in the state. I worked with the tax commission, Medicaid, Health and Welfare and many other stakeholders to move this legislation. It was blocked in the House last year, but with a lot of help, we got it through this year ON THE LAST DAY OF THE SESSION! Better late than never! Special thanks to Marilyn Sword and the Idaho Caregivers Alliance who worked behind the scenes to help my colleagues understand the importance of this bill!
Click here to read more!
Thank you to the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, AARP, and Idaho Caregivers Alliance! Thanks to Rep Adams for carrying this in the House. Whew!
_________  KILLED IN THE HOUSE __________
S1260 - Expanding Access to Prescriptive Contraception
S1260 simply requires health benefit plans that cover prescription contraception to reimburse for a six-month supply, instead of only 3 months. The House killed the bill 24-44-2. Read more about this bill by clicking here. This bill was killed within 20 minutes of the House Passing S1309 which is the Texas style bounty hunter bill that bans almost all abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy (most folks don't know they are pregnant that early). Expanding access to contraception is the number one way to prevent abortion, but House GOP couldn't see fit to get religion out of the decisions they were making about the a LEGAL practice of gaining contraception.
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FINAL LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP
Unfortunate bills that made it through
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HB 782: Shifts in Power
To my dismay, this bill passed the Senate on March 24th and is now headed to the governor's desk.
This legislation will make sweeping changes to the process of appointing members to the judicial council which makes recommendations to the Governor for vacancies on the bench as well as disciplinary actions for judges.
Retired chief justices of the Idaho Supreme Court have expressed concerns in regard to these changes due to the potential for increasing partisan politics into the decision-making process. I think that Idaho's Judicial Council already works well and has been in force since 1967. |
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Why a change now? If we are going to change the make up of the council, then I support a collaborative process where a diverse group of stakeholders representing citizens, judges, attorneys, legislators, etc., can determine changes that make sense and do not result in a partisan bench. This is one of the most important bills of the session, because the courts are where we fetter out unconstitutional laws from the legislature and keeps the balance of power in check.
The legislature will come back on Thursday, March 31 because my GOP colleagues want to see if the Governor will veto this bill. I wish he would, but even if he does, he won't have enough legislators to sustain a veto since it takes 2/3 majority, and the bill passed almost on party line votes.
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1309: Bans Off Our Bodies!
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| “It’s more than ink on paper. It’s more than lines through words,” she said. “These are my very rights. This is my very humanity and my dignity that you are trying to erase.” Photo by Sarah Miller, Idaho Statesman |
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Unfortunately, on Wednesday, Governor Little signed into law Senate Bill 1309. This legislation creates harassing pathways for lawsuits of at least $20,000 that can be filed against anyone who performs or facilitates an abortion after cellular activity has been detected, usually around 6 weeks. The bill fails to protect victims of sexual assault from having the family members of a rapist come after them.
Even though Gov. Little voiced very serious concerns in his veto letter about the shortcomings of the bill, admitting, “Ultimately, this legislation risks re-traumatizing victims by affording monetary (incentives) to wrongdoers and family members of rapists” and that it was possibly “unconstitutional,” he still went ahead and signed the bill into law. A new low.
I voted against this bill. I debated against it. I rallied against it. And I fought with all I could to keep it from seeing the light of day. As can be seen though, the radical House GOP does not feel as strongly about protecting women’s rights as I do. They would much rather enforce these senseless and cruel restrictions in the name of “protecting children" when in fact, that concern doesn't always carry over after they are born and into adulthood. Despite their significant interest in reducing abortions, they failed to pass my bill that would have extended and increased access to contraceptives: the number one way to prevent the need for abortion. They only seem interested in policing women's bodies, not helping them or the children they birth. Idaho already has very limited access to abortion as it is, with only four clinics offering those services in the entire state. Neighboring states have already seen a large influx of Idaho residents seeking their services for a safe and professional abortion. I can only imagine that number will continue to rise, as has occurred in neighboring Texas states.
Let’s get one thing very clear, this is only going to hurt Idahoans. Abortion bans and restrictions don’t reduce abortions, they reduce access to safe and local options. The women that can afford to leave the state and pay for these services elsewhere will do so, but those who are not financially able will be stuck with little to no options. This is especially true for Idahoan women in rural communities. This bill is an absolute travesty.
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Thank You for Your Support - Campaign for Re-Election
It would mean a lot to have your support as I start my campaign for re-election.
It has truly been an honor to serve District 19 during this legislative session and over the last 8 years.
I am running for re-election and I plan to continue the fight for the rights of all Idahoans once again - if you'll have me.
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My opponent's name has been found on extremist right wing websites like "FulldeckPartriot" that espouse a right wing takeover of communities throughout the state. If we want to avoid politicians like those infamous radical House members, please contribute to my campaign.
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To follow along with my campaign, donate, or get involved head on over to my website. I will be bringing everyone along on my journey on all my socials as well. Once again, thank you for allowing me to represent you at the legislature.
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Local news resources to stay updated on the legislature:
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