Senator Melissa Wintrow
I am hopeful that we will finally end the legislative session this week -- the House needs to stop fighting and move important budgets through the body that they have been holding "hostage." In the Senate: Transportation and Income Taxes. Still no bill on Property Tax Relief but we are still fighting hard to introduce.
My committees in the Senate:
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Support for Jane Doe & All Survivors of Sexual Assault
I joined advocates and local leaders on the Statehouse steps on Wednesday to demonstrate our support of the young Hispanic teen who was sexually assaulted by Rep Von Ehlinger; after a very ugly hearing, the committee unanimously voted to expel him from the House for "behavior unbecoming" of a Representative. He resigned shortly afterwards before the full House could take a vote, and only after he and many of his conservative colleagues did irreparable harm to this young intern half his age.
I want to thank the Idaho House Ethics Committee for their motion and comments supporting their decision to suspend Rep Von Ehlinger without pay for this session and next session for his conduct and for recognizing the predatory nature of his conduct. He has done so much damage to this survivor’s life and has cast doubt and shame on the working conditions in the Statehouse for interns and students who come here for an educational experience. The decision of the committee speaks loudly and indicates that this type of behavior will not be tolerated and that we will commit to a safe working environment for everyone.
In addition to Rep Von Ehlinger, Rep Giddings and any other legislator, who released her name publicly in efforts to intimidate her and use this victim as a political wedge, should also be held accountable. That sort of behavior is unbecoming and embarrassing. If people who make laws can’t follow them, they need to be held accountable as well. I am ashamed and angered by the actions of people who are elected to be leaders who behave in ways to intimidate witnesses and make the lives of our citizens worse instead of better.
A complaint against Rep Giddings would have to be made by another member of the House. We will see what the future holds and if a complaint is filed.
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Project Alarm - Empowering High School Leaders
I had the privilege of meeting with an inspiring group of young advocates focused on changing the narrative of sexual assault in our communities. What a timely conversation.
Meet the founders of Project Alarm -- Zoe Vandegriftbolles, Victoria Zunich, and Isabella Swope.
During our zoom conversation, these young leaders focused on taking the initiative to address a concern they saw for themselves and other women: the pervasiveness of violence against women and the serious implications for someone's future. I was so moved by their commitment to PREVENT sexual violence through awareness raising and education about power dynamics. Their "alarms" are a way to send an alarm throughout the culture to broach the subject and to educate young students about respecting boundaries and never crossing them without affirmative consent. The "alarms" in hand also ring out in their educational messages of prevention. It's not enough to simply protect yourself, we must teach men and boys to respect the autonomy and agency of women and girls at school, at work, at rest and play: women and girls deserve a safe place to live and thrive.
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Here's what they have to say:
“We would like to introduce our initiative, Project Alarm. We are focused on women’s safety, with an emphasis on education and information. Our overarching goal is to distribute personal alarms to as many young women as possible, specifically those who are about to enter college or age out of their parents’ homes. As young women ourselves, we have noticed a deficit in sexual assault awareness and advocacy, especially in the classroom. As juniors at Boise High, we have never even seen so much as a powerpoint concerning the intricacies and nuances of sexual assault, much less having been educated on the importance of consent. We want to empower young women to have the confidence to speak up, and we believe that personal alarms can do just that. We have all grown up in the Treasure Valley, and we have all seen the misinformation about consent and the silence concerning sexual assault. We want to break through the veil and bring this issue to the forefront”.
To get more information, check out these links and support these young leaders as they change the world.
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March for Our Lives
I was honored to join these high school students on Friday during their March for Our Lives Rally. They shared their stories and hopes for a safe learning environment and a safe future w/o firearms in their schools. More than 78% of Americans support universal background checks and reasonable public safety measures, and these students are leading the way to create safe communities.
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H377 -- Censoring Educational Discussions
Last Monday, I was inspired to see the Senate Gallery packed with Boise State students and High School students showing their opposition to H377 which is intended to address the so-called "indoctrination" of students by teachers in Idaho who are promoting diversity and inclusion.
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As I stated in my floor debate against the bill, so-called indoctrination isn't a problem in Idaho. Interestingly enough, these types of bills are popping up all over the U.S. in traditionally "red" states. After George Floyd's murder was televised nationally and 20 million people took to the streets all over the U.S. to show their commitment for addressing institutional racism, some white folks and organizations, including the Idaho Freedom Foundation, declared their "their way of life" was being threatened. Well, if their way of life is to embrace racist practices and work against measures to promote justice for all, then so be it! That has to go. Unfortunately, radical extremists like Wayne Hoffman, have overtaken the Idaho Legislature, and they have been hell-bent on destroying government and vital services to citizens and their families.
Even though Governor LIttle signed the bill into law, he admonished GOP legislators for buying into the misinformation: “We must be focused on facts and data, not anecdotes and innuendo,” Little wrote in a letter transmitted to House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley.
This bill was a problem looking for some kind of mythical solution. We must regain reason and balance because our way of life in Idaho is being threatened by extreme conservative leaders who are afraid of open discourse and are rejecting access to education and information.
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What's Left? Only the Most Important Things
As always, it seems the legislature doesn't get to the priorities of our citizens until it's late and fighting over priorities has come to a head. On the Senate Calendar:
Transportation - H362
We still haven't addressed this transportation bill that I reviewed in a previous newsletter that passed out of committee more than 2 weeks ago. It will raise the amount of state sales tax revenues to shift from the general fund to roads and bridges from the current 1% to 4.5% but $80 million of the amount shifted would go now to the Idaho Transportation Department to bond for big projects. The remainder, and any growth, would then go to local jurisdictions. This bill is now awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.
While this legislative session has often felt like a rollercoaster, these measures to improve transportation in Idaho are steps in the right direction, but as I have said over and over to my colleagues, our state needs to develop a comprehensive and sustainable transportation funding plan that includes PUBLIC TRANSIT.
Income Tax Cut - H380
Once again the legislature isn't listening to Idahoans! WE WANT REAL PROPERTY TAX RELIEF. Instead of addressing this very important concern, the House sent a bill to the Senate for Income tax cuts that once again benefit the highest earners and do little to help lower and middle income folks.
The proposal would reduce the number of income tax brackets from seven to five, cut income and corporate tax rates and provide a one-time tax rebate. HB380 is a revised version of HB332, with one significant change, the elimination of two tax brackets, which serves to make Idaho’s tax system more regressive.
According to the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, "Under this current proposal, the tax benefits from this proposed legislation would be heavily lopsided. Taking all provisions into account, households with very modest earnings would receive an $82 average tax cut, and the top 1 percent who would receive an average tax cut of $8,883. The draft legislation would cost between $383 million and $398 million in its first year and between $163 million to $171 million per year thereafter."
Let me repeat that....
- Very modest earners get $82 average tax cut
- Top 1% of earners get $8,883 on average tax cut
Who is the hardest hit from the pandemic? Modest earners working in restaurants, grocery stores, and manufacturing. The wage gap in our state is growing due to the pandemic. I recently saw a sign in a restaurant asking folks to be patient with lines and waiting due to staffing shortages. Wages continue to be low and we need to help families and businesses to get the economy going for the hardest hit: front line service industry workers.
This bill doesn't help them! In fact it takes money from the services, including child care and health care, that they need. And with an income tax cut like this it takes money from education, transportation, and health care.
Fact: Idaho one of the fastest growing states in the Country.
Fact: We have a housing shortage and working class families are getting priced out of homes and rent by people moving into the state, driving prices up.
Fact. We have hundreds of millions of dollars in excess revenue in our state coffers because businesses are doing well overall and people in higher earning jobs that supported telecommuting are doing well.
Fact: Sales tax collections are surpassing expectations by millions.
Fact: Our conservative legislature is ignoring a key business principle: INVESTMENT.
This legislature continues to cut budgets and cut taxes in the midst of unprecedented growth, which means we can;'t accommodate that growth because we aren't investing in infrastructure, education, and health care.
H380 is not going to help Idaho grow nor help everyday Idahoans. I will oppose this bill and fight for what we really need: investment in education and real property tax relief.
One way to help education and reduce property taxes: use the hundreds of millions of excess revenue to pay the hundreds of millions of dollars that local communities run in supplemental levies. Those levies mean higher property taxes because the state is giving income tax breaks to the highest earners who don't need it.
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“Through Knowledge, the Challenge to Serve"
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This week was full of inspiring conversations with young advocates. I am always encouraged when I have the chance to speak with social workers, and this week I was especially honored to speak at the Phi Alpha Honors Society for Social Workers Induction Ceremony organized by my intern, Nikki Davidson who has served as the President of the society for the past year. I asked the group a few questions including,
“What inspires you in this work?”
Humanity, changing the world, the worth of every person, hope, and resilience.
Our communities are in good hands! Phi Alpha is committed to excellence in the field of social work which is evident among its members. I am honored to have been apart of the night.
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Saying Goodbye to a Remarkable Intern
Nikki has been an incredible help to me this year. She helped an 80 year old constituent find housing when she was being evicted and provided outstanding support to me and our district. Thank you, Nikki!
"It has been an honor to work with Senator Wintrow the last several months. I learned a great deal about the legislative process, decorum, advocacy and innovation. Working with Senator Wintrow is an experience I will draw from in my future career. I'm excited to graduate from BSU next weekend and continue on in my education at Brooklyn Law School in NYC." - Nikki Davidson
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TELL THE LT. GOVERNOR WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING IN IDAHO SCHOOLS
The Legislature is still stalling on passing state education budgets and threatening multi-million dollar cuts to our colleges and universities over unfounded claims that teachers are up to no good.
Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin has launched a McCarthy-like task force to investigate, "indoctrination in Idaho education and to protect our young people from the scourge of critical race theory, socialism, communism, and Marxism."
Let's show the Lt. Governor what's really going on in Idaho's education system. Share a positive story with the Lt. Governor about how you or someone you know has benefitted from Idaho's public school system.
Remember the following:
- STAY POSITIVE
- KEEP IT BRIEF
- SUBMIT ASAP
Let's flood this "task force” with hundreds of uplifting stories about Idaho's education system and show the Legislature what great things are really happening in Idaho schools.
CLICK THIS LINK AND SHARE A POSITIVE STORY with the Lt. Governor about how you or someone you know has benefitted from Idaho Idaho's public school system.
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