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We're beginning to see the early impacts of Elon Musk's unconstitutional federal workforce reductions and budget cuts. We need to document the impact to Idaho.
Please email me if you know of a fired Federal employee or program reduction.
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Governor Breaks Promise
Ignores 87% Idahoans Again
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 Governor Little has broken his promise to public schools and thrown 300,000+ students under the proverbial bus. Don't Worry! We'll tell you what you want.
As reported by KMVT, "while the office is still compiling the most up-to-date data, so far it has tallied 32,366 calls and emails to veto House Bill 93 while only receiving 5,091 to sign it." That means 87% of Idahoans asked him to veto vouchers. But once again he and the legislature didn't listen to you!
The Democratic Caucus delivered 1125 signatures on Tuesday.
Despite overwhelming opposition to vouchers, he chose to sign this bill into law. He betrayed his promise to stand up for our public schools and instead bowed to out-of-state billionaires, and maybe even to his fear of big money coming into a primary against him.
I knew the chance was slim that he would veto after Trump gave an endorsement, but I still had hope that this old-fashioned Idaho Rancher would dig deep and stand up for Idaho and not shrink to perceived political pressure. I don't know when I have been more disappointed and concerned about the direction of our state. We have a Governor who can't stand up for Idaho against extremists in our own state and outside of it.
And you would think that since they got what they wanted, their private school subsidies, that they would leave public schools alone, but they continue to put the screws to public schools: passing bad legislation to arm teachers in schools, obsessing about bathrooms and flags, banning books, mandating propaganda type videos about human development but no sex ed to accompany it.
It is exhausting to watch the GOP chip away at public schools while they line the pockets of wealthy parents to help pay their private school tuition with NO ACCOUNTABILITY. They are boosting private schools to the tune of $50 million dollars and won't even check up on that money! Republicans repeatedly stated on the Senate floor that "we can trust our parents" to spend their $5000 per student ethically. I wish they had the same trust in the working poor because the GOP is quick to attach all kinds of accountability to Medicaid and even spends over $4 Million on tracking Medicaid recipients and chasing down fraud. Sure, we have to ensure that tax money is being spent according to the rules when it comes to the working poor, but not voucher money for rich parents.
I am so angry about this hypocrisy and the attacks we have seen on public schools and our teachers. We'll see what happens from here, but the rest of the session will be spent on fighting about how to further decrease revenue and cut taxes again, which won't help put the roof on a public school, fix a bridge, pay a public employee for their hard work, pave a road, pay a park ranger, improve fish and game, support a failing EMS system, and the list goes on.
The majority party continues to fail the majority of Idahoans.
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Social Workers are the Future
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 The Idaho chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) held their annual Legislative Education and Advocacy Days (LEAD) at the statehouse this week! It was so encouraging to see so many social work students, who came from all over our state, gathered in the Capitol to learn about advocacy and becoming involved in our state politics. These students are ready and committed to make positive change in their communities across our state.
I was fortunate enough to be able to briefly address this large group about the importance and power of their voices and their expertise as social workers and the impact that they can have in the Legislative process and state politics.
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I am so heartened by the conversation I had with these students and their understanding of social issues and the way that individuals can be impacted by decisions made in our statehouse. These social workers will do great things!
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Foster Care Awareness Day
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On Wednesday, we celebrated Foster Care Awareness Day where advocates, providers, parents, and foster care alumni from across the state come to educate legislators about the important role foster parents play.
I was honored to introduce Governor Little to attendees so that he could present and sign his proclamation recognizing February 26th as Foster Care Awareness Day in Idaho.
This coming week, we'll hear H245, a bill I'm cosponsoring, in Senate Health and Welfare. This bill augments recent reforms to the foster care system to allow for extended care for youth aging out of the foster care system up to age 23. |
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Attempts to Hijack Committee to
Repeal Medicaid Expansion
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 With the regular committee chair absent on Thursday, GOP extremists, in a bold sneak attack that violated rules, tried to put the Medicaid Repeal bill (HB 138) on the Health and Welfare committee agenda. The Committee Chair sets the agenda, and Sen Van Orden has made clear she won't hold a full hearing on Medicaid Repeal. So, they decided to take matters into their own hands in her absence.
Seeing the the vice-chair was unclear about procedures, I asked to go at ease to consult the parliamentarian which gave enough time for the chair to return and adjourn the committee. Whew! That was a close one.
Unfortunately, we aren't out of the woods yet. According to Senate rules, a member can try to "pull a bill out of committee" from the Senate floor. So that may happen. Also, there is another bill headed to the Senate that creates barriers for the expansion population but no outright triggers to repeal. Medicaid Expansion passed by voter initiative in 2018 and implemented in 2020. And ever since then, GOP extremists have continued to ignore the will of the people and done everything they could to repeal it. We'll keep fighting to protect health care and the people's will.
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Coroner Bill Passes the Senate
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 My bill S1101, that seeks to improve the county coroner system in Idaho, passed the Senate.
Last session, an OPE report was delivered to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee that outlined significant problems with our coroner system that included inconsistencies with death investigations and autopsies. The report put forward recommendations for improvement and the committee took that seriously. As co-chairs of JLOC, Rep Pickett and I met with the coroners over the summer and they led the charge to draft legislation to address duties, roles, responsibilities, and standards for training.
The county coroner, included in the Idaho Constitution, is elected in a partisan race, and they are the only ones who can arrest the Sheriff. That system may have worked in the early days of the territory, but with the advances in technology and expectations around public safety, there is great need for reform. There have been 9 attempts in the past 70 years, but each attempt has failed. I believe this time is different, because the coroners themselves are leading the charge. While the bill that passed does not answer all concerns, it is a great start and finally puts into law the duties and responsibilities around death investigations to create more consistency around the state.
There is still a lot of work to be done to address oversight and resources. For example, there is currently only one lab in the state to conduct autopsies -- in Ada County. So, coroners must transport remains across the state for examination which drives up costs and impacts criminal investigations.
JLOC asked for a county by county assessment of needs that will be out very soon to provide even more direction for reform. Each coroner's office falls under the authority of the county budget, but as we know, our counties have vast differences in resources and geography. The counties alone may not be able to fully fund and support this vital public safety office without a little help from the state.
I will continue to work with the coroners and the counties to continue these reforms to improve public safety and to seek justice for victims and their families.
You can read an article about this bill from the Idaho Capital Sun HERE.
Also, below are some stories that have appeared recently about concerns to address in the system:
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My college intern, Kristi, and I heading into the NASW LEAD day to join her social work peers!
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There was an Idaho Appreciation Lunch this week from the Idaho Office of Refugees.
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I was able to meet with some of our local firefighters this week.
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It's so important that we continue to support our emergency services!
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At Boise State Day, I met with Dr. Tromp and some of the student government.
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I met with members from Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
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I had a great conversation with the people from the Idaho Coalition for HIV and Safety!
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The Interfaith Equality Coalition held a peaceful demonstration on the statehouse steps this week.
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Here is a shortened list of bills that have been introduced in either the House (H) or Senate (S) that provide insight into the legislature’s upside down priorities, a far cry from good for the people.
It's so disappointing to see time and money wasted on political grandstanding that harms everyday folks instead of solving real problems Idahoans are facing like housing, school funding, child care, crumbling roads and bridges, and more.
The Idaho Legislature has gone from conservative values of less government to overreach at every turn to control Idahoans' lives.
Some of these bills will move forward and some will stall or die along the way. Future newsletters will usually discuss the ones that come up for a vote either in committee or on the floor of the House or Senate. The title of each bill is a link to track its progress.
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Traditional Family Values Month (SCR 111): This resolution, sponsored by Ben Toews, passed the Senate with only the Democrats and one Republican with the courage to vote against it. These are the kind of things that the legislature is wasting tax dollars on.
 Here is my floor debate...
Many families—blended families, LGBTQ families, foster families, single-parent households, and couples without children—contribute positively to their communities every day. These families don’t need to conform to a rigid definition to be valid or impactful.
Single parents, for example, don’t need to be labeled as courageous; they’re simply living their lives and doing their best to raise their children. The circumstances that brought them to parenthood are personal and not the government’s business. They are parents, many of whom are navigating challenges without government interference or judgment.
This resolution implies that “non-traditional” families are inherently less capable of thriving than so-called “traditional” families. However, no family is perfect, and some are far better off without an abusive spouse or parent—even if that means they don’t fit this narrow definition of tradition.
Symbolic resolutions like this one do little to address the real and pressing issues that Idaho families face: access to housing, healthcare, fair wages, childcare, and properly funded public schools. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day already provide opportunities to celebrate parents in all their forms.
Instead of spending taxpayer dollars on resolutions that lack any practical impact, we should focus on tackling the real challenges affecting Idahoans.
Refugees & Medicaid (H0199): This House bill would change the eligibility requirements for refugees in Idaho to be able to access Medicaid. It passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Health & Welfare Committee.
Restrictions on Drag Shows (H0230): This House bill says that it is not a "ban" on "indecent sexual exhibitions," aka, drag shows, but puts limits on time, place, and manner of these events. It has passed the House and has been referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee.
Ten Commandments in Schools (H0238): This House bill would require the Ten Commandments of the Christian faith to be publicly displayed in school buildings as a means of affirming their ongoing significance to Christians. It has been referred to the House Education Committee.
Parent Permission for Sex Ed (H0239): This House bill would require affirmative permission from parents for their children to participate in "sexually explicit" instruction in schools. It has been filed for a Second Reading in the House.
Another DEI Bill for Higher Education (S1123): This Senate bill would define DEI ideology and fine any institution that promotes or requires DEI ideology. The State Board of Education would recoup the funds of $10k for first offense, $25k for the second, and $50k for every offense after. It has been referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee.
Enforcing Freedom of Speech and Religious Liberty (S1129): This Senate bill adds an enforcement mechanism for people to have their Freedom of Speech and Religious Liberty protected. It has been referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee.
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Local news resources to stay updated on the legislature:
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