A message from Senator Melissa Wintrow
It's been a busy time since the election. Last week, the legislature called its organizing session to swear in new legislators, elect leaders, and assign committees. My new committees are Health and Welfare, Judiciary and Rules, and Transportation.
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Konie is wishing you a peaceful and joyful Holiday Season
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Legislative Organizing Session
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Organizing Session....Bittersweet in the Face of Coronavirus
THANK YOU for your support and for electing me to the Senate. My last six years in the House were very fulfilling; I was able to pass significant legislation to support sexual assault survivors and safeguard Medicaid and other agency budgets in my work on the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee.
Last week, the legislature called its organizing session to swear in new legislators, elect leaders, and assign committees. It was a bittersweet time because I am very excited to step into a new role of service as a Senator, but I was also anxious about physical safety in this pandemic.
On December 10, 2020, Idaho reported 1,136 deaths and 118,028 cases of confirmed and probable coronavirus since the pandemic began. Our hospitals are operating in crisis mode and running short on resources, medical staff, and available beds. The CDC, Central District Health, and science and medical leaders are making recommendations based on facts like wear a mask, practice physical distancing, and don’t have large indoor gatherings.
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However, the Governor nor the legislature is listening. The Governor is pleading with Idahoans to "make good choices" and Republican leadership is encouraging legislators to wear a mask but "the choice is yours," they said and are refusing to make responsible decisions to keep legislators and community members safe by requiring CDC recommendations for facial coverings and physical distancing -- very simple ways to add protections for safety!
I have chosen to attend the legislative session, but I will be taking it one day at time to make decisions that keep myself, my family, and my community healthy. I don’t take representing your interests at the statehouse lightly and I never shy away from difficult fights in the legislature. A big part of my responsibility is keeping Idahoans as safe as possible, regardless of the political consequences. Unfortunately, my colleagues in the legislature are relying on conspiracy theories and misinformation heading into the next session.
My preference is for Republican majority leadership to postpone the session until a vaccine can be distributed in a meaningful way or conduct the session virtually. Coronavirus cases and deaths are rising at a rapid rate and an indoor gathering with hundreds of legislators, staff, and citizens is an enormous, unnecessary risk. Even the Governor in his press conference yesterday, urged the legislature to postpone it, calling it a "petri dish" for the virus to spread.
If we are unable to postpone session, then they should be requiring face coverings, physical distancing, and other recommended safety precautions. The precautions should be strictly enforced in every committee, meeting, and on the floor by staff members and legislators.
Postponing the session or putting in safety precautions are an incredibly small price to pay to potentially save thousands of lives. I implore legislative leaders to think about what Dr. Jim Souza, St. Luke's Chief Medical Officer, said to Central District health Board: “There is no right or wrong, Republican or Democrat, urban or rural, religious or non-religious when it comes to COVID-19. There is one enemy. It’s the bug. And there is one victim. It’s humanity."
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Dear Governor Little,
It's past time to require safety measures...
My colleagues and I sent a letter to Governor Little after his press conference yesterday imploring him to enact the necessary safety measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We have asked him to require a statewide mask requirement, physical distancing, remote work whenever possible, etc.
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Supporting Our Health Care Workers and Advocating for Safety
I have been receiving a variety of emails from people all over the state about the decision in front of Central District Health, as they face skyrocketing case numbers and need to make decisions to increase public safety. Most of D19 constituents who have contacted me are very supportive of requiring masks and a comprehensive plan to prevent the spread of the virus. However, there are some people who oppose the Central District Health decisions and characterize them as “Draconian measures” and unconstitutional.
Here’s my response:
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I fully support Dr. Epperly and all those in our medical community and the Health Districts who are trying to reduce the spread of this deadly virus and improve health outcomes in our state. They are acting according to their statutory authority and are not doing anything that is unconstitutional.
Click here to read more...
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NO ROOM for violent intimidation of public officials
nor any community member
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Photo credit: Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP
After I wrote a letter of support for our health care professionals and Central District Health Board, we saw uncivil and violent people disrupting the CDH meeting where they were going to consider a decision on whether to enact a mask mandate in our county due to the rising number of cases and deaths. I fully support these board members and DENOUNCE the actions of a group of people who went to a public leader's home and terrified her family with their intimidating actions that they posted proudly on Youtube. This is not protesting, it is violent intimidation. I was glad to see that Boise Police have issued arrest warrants based on the actions on video.
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It's Time to Draw The Lines
Our biggest virtual event of the year, “It’s Time to Draw the Lines,” is just around the corner! Don’t forget to get your tickets to this fun and educational experience.
We know how much you care about the future of Idaho, and that’s why we invited you to this event. The 2021 legislative session will be here before we know it and we need to be prepared for this biggest fight of the decade. Idaho is gearing up to redraw our legislative maps based on the recent census data. The Idaho Democrats have been able to stop the Republican Party from meddling with our independent redistricting commission for years, but we need your help to protect free and fair elections during this critical time.
We’re all experiencing fatigue from video meetings and events, but this event will grab your attention! Our redistricting expert will share unique insight on the importance of the drawing districts that represent the people in them. Our legislative leaders will also be sharing an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming legislative session.
Tickets are on sale now! All of the proceeds from ticket sales and donations will support the Idaho Democratic legislators to fight unfair redistricting, sometimes known as gerrymandering.
I’m looking forward to seeing you there!
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On Veterans Day, I was able to meet 2 of our veterans in the Smiles for Soldiers program. It was such a pleasure to meet this air force veteran after she served more than 20 years as a mechanic keeping our planes in the sky.
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