This week marked the beginning of the 1st Regular Session of the Sixty-Sixth Idaho Legislature, which included the Governor's State of the State address and the release of his budget priorities.
The Governor's budget includes $367 million in one-time spending for a host of projects and calls for an overall spending increase of 3.8%. Idaho has more than $600 million in reserve funds and surplus revenue right now and our state must decide how best to use these funds.
I believe enacting meaningful, ongoing tax reductions should be a top priority in Idaho as we work to recover from the economic hardships brought about by the government's response to the coronavirus. In addition to repealing the tax on food, Idaho could consider ways to reduce property tax, income tax, or to implement tax credits designed to help working families.
Transformative tax relief will work to jump-start the private sector and support Idaho citizens, all of whom have been devastated by government overreach throughout 2020, and to place Idaho into a stronger economic position moving forward.
Ending the Emergency Order
The Idaho Legislature wasted no time in introducing concurrent resolutions to end the state of emergency under which the state has been operating (as Rep. Heather Scott's HCR001 noted) "for more than 300 days." While HCR001 would simply end the emergency order altogether, a competing resolution in the Senate (SCR101) does so only in part, allowing the Governor to make or maintain ongoing emergency declarations to the extent required to continue receiving FEMA funding. Currently, I am evaluating the FEMA funding that Idaho received in 2020.
It will be interesting to see which side prevails in this debate. Many conservatives see reducing the state's dependence on debt-financed federal dollars as a priority, and are thus unlikely to be persuaded that maintaining any form of emergency declaration in order to keep such funds flowing is a good idea.
Putting Limits on Future Emergencies
In addition to the resolutions to end the current state of emergency, several bills have been introduced to put limits on the issuance and continuance of future emergency declarations. Among other changes, the existing overlap between emergency orders and 'extreme' emergency orders is clarified and delineated. Under these new legislative proposals, an emergency will be defined as a natural disaster and an extreme emergency, which will be renamed "extreme peril", will be defined as a man-made catastrophe such as a riot or terrorist attack.
In either situation, the governor will only be allowed to declare an emergency (or state of extreme peril) for a maximum of 30 days. Only the legislature will be able to extend these declarations. Additionally, these declarations will not be allowed to "restrict the right of Idahoans to work, provide for their families, and otherwise contribute to the economy of Idaho." In other words, there will be no more claiming that some Idahoans are "non-essential".
Finally, these bills put into statute explicit protections for our constitutional rights during an emergency or state of extreme peril. Specifically, they say that neither the governor nor any other part of government may "limit or suspend any rights guaranteed by the United States constitution or constitution of the state of Idaho, including but not limited to the right to assemble for worship."
While these bills have yet to receive a vote or even a hearing, it is encouraging to see the legislature working for the people and seeking to prevent government overreach in the future.
Capitol Clarity
Across Idaho, I am seeing a record number of people interested in becoming more engaged in the political process. Working with my friends in the legislature, we are striving to help citizens learn more about the legislative process, how to read and understand legislation, and how to effectively communicate with legislators. On Thursday, we had an interesting and informative discussion. Between in-person attendance and online viewers, we were able to reach hundreds of Idaho citizens.
We are planning to hold similar meetings going forward, each Thursday at noon in the Lincoln Auditorium, so that we can safely accommodate more in-person attendees. We will continue working to help Idahoans understand what is happening in their state government. Things happen quickly during the legislative session, and it can be difficult for people to stay informed and involved. The more we can do to make the process accessible and transparent, the better.
Below are some photos from the event taken by Daniel Murphy.
