Senator Melissa Wintrow
I was encouraged this week with the hope-filled inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the first woman, and woman of color, to hold office. As President Biden quoted Abraham Lincoln in his speech, "My whole soul is in this," I found myself mouthing those same words. Our souls must be in this work and devoted to the success of our country and our state; it is a reminder each day when I face challenges or staunchly different views in the Statehouse, I am invested in representing you and our values. We are in this together.
My committees in the Senate:
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My Response to Gov. Little's Press Conference
Governor Little hosted a powerful press conference on Friday to address the majority party's attempts in the legislature to place restrictions on his authority as Governor in an emergency. As he noted, we are nearing the final lap of the pandemic and we must stay on course in order to return to normal and cross the finish line.
I support the Governor's statement. We need to continue our state of emergency, because we are still in an emergency and we need to be able to access federal dollars, taxpayer dollars, to support Idahoans in this crisis.
CLICK HERE TO READ MY FULL RESPONSE...
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"Abandon the Myths of Emergency Declaration"
As the Governor noted, my GOP colleagues have latched onto and spread myths about the pandemic and the emergency declaration. To that end, they have introduced a slew of bills that would harm Idahoans not help them, while granting more power to the legislature creating an imbalance of power in our state government.
Some of the largest employers in Idaho have reached out to members of the House and Senate to make appeals on behalf of their sick and dying employees. These leaders know that a business is only as good as its people, and this pandemic has already stolen the lives of more than 1,600 of those neighbors, friends, family, and colleagues. Our local leaders have also noticed the shortsightedness in the proposed legislation taking shape at the statehouse; over-legislating is detrimental to our communities as well as to our ability to flexibly respond to threats or crises in the future.
Here are the bills they introduced:
HCR 001: terminates the state of disaster on the basis that the death rate numbers are “overestimated.”
HCR 002: terminates the prohibition of gatherings of more than 10 in Governor’s State 2 order. However, Health Districts maintain legal ability to establish limits in their districts.
HB 001: curtails the governor in addressing ongoing emergencies, instead giving that authority to the part-time legislature. A disaster declaration would be given a fixed time limit, and any extensions are solely in the purview of the legislature. In addition, it seeks to include manufacture of firearms under categories of activity the executive can’t prohibit, nor any other “rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution […] including…the right to assemble for worship.” This version also includes a severability clause.
HB 004: seeks to exclude cases or emergency or extreme emergency as compelling governmental interests in regard to interference with parental rights.
SCR 101: terminates the state of disaster while not seeking to prevent Idaho from receiving federal emergency funds. It further states the governor may make declarations to the extent necessary to get federal money but may not use such a declaration to “impose restrictions” on Idahoans.
SB 1001: revises definitions relating to the State Disaster Preparedness Act. A “disaster” would specifically exclude “explosion, riot, or hostile military or paramilitary action and including acts of terrorism” from rising to the level of “disaster.”
SB 1002: Attempts to maintain federal funding related to a declaration of disaster by changing language from “during” to “arising out of” a declared state of disaster or emergency.
SB 1003: Attempts to redefine situations where the Governor has authority to proclaim a state of emergency, by replacing the word “emergency” with “peril” and then defining “peril” as “caused by an enemy attack or threatened attack, or the […] existence of conditions of extreme peril […] caused by such human-caused conditions as riot, insurrection […] or explosion”. This bill removes language allowing for an emergency declaration caused by “air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic […] or earthquake”. Additionally, this bill drastically increases the authority of the legislative branch in removing or continuing such emergency declarations.
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My First Presentation on the Senate Floor
I was deeply honored that my first presentation on the Senate floor was for a gubernatorial appointment of Karan Tucker to the board of Your Health Idaho. The 19 member board collectively offers their expertise about public health and their knowledge and experience with health benefits administration.
Karan Tucker, is a distinguished leader in our community, best know in her role as the Executive Director of the non-profit Jannus—serving 35,000+ Idahoans annually with more than 20 programs. She recognizes the importance of health care and the vital role it plays in one's ability to thrive. She is a native Idahoan who has an excellent perspective on statewide needs.
It's no surprise that she has received many honors for her work, but here's a small sample:
- Commitment to Idaho Award (BSU School of Public Service)
- Idaho Business Review CEO of Influence
- Tribute to Women in Industry
- Idaho Business Review Woman of the Year
- Governor’s Brightest Star
Thank you, Karan, for your continued commitment to serve Idahoans and advocate for sound community health outcomes!
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"Thankful for Sunshine and Friends"
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Last week I joined Ms. Bradshaw’s 5th grade class at Roosevelt Elementary: first virtually and then, with careful planning and permission, in person.
I was impressed and deeply moved by how resilient these students are and how curious and eager they were to learn, even on line! We talked about the democratic process and how government works.
Then, I posed the question "what do you care about?"
- Friends
- Sunshine
- Education
- My family
- Safety
- Sleep
- Happiness
I was blown away at their answers; it was a good reminder of their maturity and how much they care about others. A good lesson for all of us on what is important in life. After that visit, I was allowed to visit Ms. Bradshaw's class in person, mask and distancing protocols in place.
What did I learn? TEACHERS ARE HEROES! I was near tears watching them managing a small group of students in class while also managing those on line. They are working so hard to care for our children and to do all they can to enhance learning in a safe environment.
CALL TO ACTION: If you haven't done so already, please send a note of thanks to the teachers in your community. Take them a treat. Send a Valentine. Share a smile. They are working so hard to locate kids and teach them and support families. Let's show them we care!
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District 19 Townhalls
Due to safety concerns and protocols, Rep Necochea, Rep Mathias and I will host several meetings online. Please join and ask us questions.
Dates and times:
Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 6pm
Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 6pm
Thursday, March 3 at 6pm
Register at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3wE2P17WRYec39q_sQ4uNA
Contact my intern for questions: ndavidson@senate.idaho.gov
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Stay Involved in the Process
I can't do my job effectively without the participation of my constituents. I hope you find these tools useful to stay engaged with me as the legislative session progresses.
- Eye on Boise: the latest Boise and Capitol news daily by Betsy Z. Russell; get an overall understanding of the main events during the legislative session
- Idaho Legislature Website: the statehouse is open to the public, you are also welcome to join remotely via:
- Remote Testimony: the Senate has adopted remote testimony capabilities; follow this link to register through the committee agendas
- MyBillTracker: create an account to follow proposed legislation and get email notifications.
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