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Legislative Session Begins
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Ready or not, here we come. Session begins this week.
I took a little time off at the end of the year to rest and ground myself before session, which bodes to be a doozy. Konie came to the Statehouse to help me get settled and fill the office with good dog vibes!
However, after seeing the results of the anti-DEI working group this fall (more to come on this later), it's clear that the last election has moved the legislature even more to the right. We'll see bills attempting to require Bible readings in public school (which is unconstitutional), to closing programs and services on college campuses that support student groups that have been historically marginalized, to more attacks on the LGBTQ community, private school vouchers, and more.
I will keep you posted throughout the session. Feel free to contact me with questions and concerns.
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Public Education Under Attack
Governor Little along with Senate and House leaders from both parties met with the press last Friday to discuss priorities for the session. The Republicans have made clear that they want to implement some sort of voucher scheme that would siphon tax dollars from our public schools and funnel it to private and religious schools, which undermines our constitutional commitment to public education and threatens student outcomes.
We only have to look at Arizona to see how their state budget has ballooned out of control to over $800M annually (a 323% increase since 2022); they started their program with 12,000 students and after lifting eligibility requirements are now supporting over 80,000! The GOP will use tricky language like "school choice" but Idaho already leads the country in choices for parents and students. No matter what they call it or how they couch it, in a political culture of constant tax cuts and cutting services, this type of bill will compete with public schools and all the other services Idahoans need and want.
Our constitutional obligation is to public schools, and the legislature continues to fail on that obligation which is seen in school districts that continue to have to run bonds and levies just to keep the lights on. The Idaho Democrats prioritize public schools and we will fight to protect our students' futures. I know there are well-reasoned Republicans that also believe in protecting public schools; I hope that they will partner with us to stop any voucher scheme introduced.
Protecting Health Care and Medicaid
Under the new Trump administration, many GOP leaders show an emboldened attitude to make cuts to Medicaid including repealing Medicaid Expansion which provides health care to 90,000 Idahoans who make a little too much for Medicaid and not enough to receive a subsidy for the health exchange. Employers like Walmart, Albertsons, McDonald's, Amazon, hospitals, in-home caregivers, public schools, state government, and universities are among the top employers of the expansion population. Over 80% of the expansion population is reporting to work according to the Department of Health and Welfare; if they're not working it may be due to the fact that almost 30% of the expansion population is receiving mental health or substance use treatment. Without Medicaid we would be facing the same crisis we did before expansion: a lack of prevention services which leads to more serious health conditions going undetected until there is a serious crisis that requires more expensive and possibly less effective health treatments.
CLICK HERE to watch a recording of the 30-minute Viewpoint interview, which was broadcast on Dec. 29, 2024. The Republican legislators are interviewed first, followed by Rep Berch and me (about halfway into the show). Topics discussed include:
- Impact of the November election on the legislature
- Threats to repeal Medicaid Expansion
- Consequences of Idaho's current anti-abortion laws
- Shifting tax dollars from public schools to for-profit private and religious schools
- Governor Little's upcoming State of the State address
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Democratic Priorities 2025 Session
Education and Childcare:
- Democratic legislators are committed to Idaho’s constitutional and moral obligation to fully fund high-quality public schools, make schools safer, and support teachers.
- We oppose vouchers by any name. This includes trying to pull one over on voters by labeling them “refundable tax credits.” This opens the door to divert funds from public schools and exploding budget overruns, as seen in states like Arizona.
- Support for living wage jobs and policies that bolster Idaho’s workforce, including the Idaho LAUNCH program.
- We support increasing access to childcare to support working families and strengthen our economy
Healthcare:
- Safeguarding Medicaid expansion and protecting the will of Idaho voters.
- Expanding healthcare access, particularly in rural communities.
- Ensuring women receive appropriate reproductive care, including access to birth control and IVF. We support clear life and health protections for pregnant women.
Public Lands:
- We will never sell off our public lands to billionaire investors or special private interest groups. We are deeply concerned about efforts by Idaho’s Attorney General that, if successful, will likely lead to the sale of millions of acres of public lands to billionaires.
- We will invest in the people and policies needed to safeguard the ecological health of our public lands in the face of extreme weather, including wildfires.
Government Transparency and Access to the Ballot:
- Idaho is only as strong as it is transparent about how it goes about the people’s business.
- Safe, fair, accessible voting must be protected for all Idahoans. We will continue to defend the ballot initiative process, a fundamental right of Idahoans that has faced repeated attacks. We will also work to restore voting access for thousands of Idaho citizens who have found it difficult or impossible to vote due to voter suppression measures passed in recent years.
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My trip to The White House was historic including a selfie with President Biden! He took my phone and snapped this quickly! We also ran into Governor Tim Walz and his family.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Park in Atlanta
While attending a conference in Atlanta, Rep Rubel and I visited the MLK Historical Park that includes the Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King led his congregation.
I found myself feeling inspired and more grounded to face challenges to come as I reflected on his life and the fearless work of so many civil rights leaders.
The Center is rich with history including this display where President Jimmy Carter signs into law HR 96-428 designating the MLK National Historic site on October 10, 1980. You can see many respected leaders with him, including our former Governor Cecil Andrus.
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This photo was inside Ebenezer Baptist Church where the park ranger was pointing out all the famous leaders who attended the funeral of Dr. King. If you zoom in, you'll see Emmet Till's mother, John Lewis, Harry Belafonte and many more beloved leaders. We must never forget. We must teach history and share the truth, defying the political far right extremists who are trying to censor history and content.
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D19 Legislative Town Hall
Monday, January 27
6:00pm
Boise High School
1010 W Washington St.
Please join me and Representatives Mathias and Church for our first town hall of the 2025 legislative session where we will answer questions and share our perspectives.
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Local news resources to stay updated on the legislature:
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