Senator Melissa Wintrow

Yep, You Read the Headlines Right...

"Soylent Green is People!"

It's Week 5

Over the years, I have become accustomed to the headlines coming out of the Idaho Legislature, but even I was surprised this week, when a House member introduced a bill about cannibalism and composting of human remains.

Whatever happened to ashes to ashes, dust to dust?  

Maybe she saw the infamous Charlton Heston movie where human flesh was turned into crackers after the world's population grew to unsustainable levels:  "Soylent Green is People," he gasped when we discovered the dead were being funneled to a food manufacturing plant. Well, hopefully her bill will quell her fears as it would prohibit giving someone else “the flesh or blood of a human being” without that person’s “knowledge or consent.”
 

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MORE ATTACKS ON WHO YOU ARE AND HOW YOU LIVE

There were more attacks on people who don't conform to traditional gender roles with a bill by a House member who wants to ban public employees from being required to refer to people by the pronouns they use and forbid teachers from calling their students by their requested pronouns without written permission from their parents.

As the ACLU pointed out, the bill is very likely to violate constitutional and statutory provisions: “While people may hold a variety of beliefs about transgender people, the First Amendment does not grant school officials a free speech right to refuse to address transgender students by the pronouns consistent with their gender identity,” the ACLU said. 

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HOUSE REPUBLICANS FIGHT FOR POWER: HISTORIC REMOVAL OF MAJORITY LEADER

As you may have already heard, House Republicans were not very productive this week. In fact, they spent 2 days fighting each other before they finally fired their own leader! That’s right, Idaho House Republicans are currently without a majority leader. This is an unfortunate episode as it’s the result of the last gasp of “moderate” republicans’ attempt to adhere to their own principles.

Midweek, many "moderates," including the majority leader joined with Democrats in opposing the non-maintenance budgets part of the unprecedented JFAC overhaul, because they knew what we knew: these "budgets" are inadequate and bad for Idaho, leaving out teacher salaries, employee raises, Launch scholarships, Quagga mussel plan, and more. 

Unfortunately for the people of Idaho and for legislators that stood up to bully tactics of a handful of party bosses, they were punished and a powerful message was sent to the rest: don't cross the man on top. The day after moderates made an attempt to stand their ground, the majority leader was stripped of her position, and the House Republicans fell in line, and voted for the skeleton budgets with their tails between their legs.

This gives us a pretty clear lesson: when push comes to shove, their is no room for moderation and reason. You better fall in line or face the punishment.

I suggest that we all worry more about doing our jobs, instead of keeping our jobs.
 

LISTEN TO REP NECOCHEA ON THE HOUSE DEBACLE
 

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QUESTION:  WHAT IS REALLY HARMFUL TO MINORS?

ANSWER: DISCRIMINATION 

S1289 will be heard in Senate State Affairs on Monday, a bill that deals with how libraries review materials in their collections that are deemed "harmful" to minors. The bill is problematic on many levels, but mostly because it continues to reference Idaho Code 18-1514 which includes as harmful, "homosexuality." We heard testimony last year from a parent who was upset about a book in the library with a photo of two men kissing, and that made her uncomfortable. Since then we have seen bill after bill attacking our LGBTQ community AND communities of color. 

One nice thing about this bill is that it seems that the review process may only address 18-1514, 6(a), which deals with the representation of sexuality. However, each library board varies in its politics, and we have seen extremist legislators trying to stack the boards with people that already are opposed to the LGBTQ community. 

These attacks on libraries are part of a larger assault on anyone who doesn't meet prescribed and approved definitions of gender by christian nationalists, nor those who don't adhere to "traditional" family roles. They see gay families as an assault on the family and will do everything they can to outlaw people who aren't heterosexual.  

THAT'S DISCRIMINATION. 

These bills are reactions to discriminatory and cruel behaviors and have the affect of creating a hostile environment for the LGBTQ community and increase depression and potentially suicide rates. 

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Dignified Care -- Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias



S1247 passed out of committee. It provides a legal and compassionate pathway to take someone with a major neurocognitive disorder in an acute crisis, and a danger to themselves or others, to a hospital emergency room for a medical assessment to determine if an undiagnosed medical reason is the cause of the acute crisis. There has been a problem where people with Alzheimer's or other dementias are being placed on mental health holds which is NOT appropriate. When someone is in crisis we need a quick response where their medical needs are being addressed, so we can get folks back home. 
 

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