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The Foster Care Oversight Committee met on February 22 to review the experiences of foster parents and other challenges in the child protection system. I have been an active member of this committee for over 8 years and have worked with numerous families and stakeholders to advocate for positive changes in the system to support kids, young adults, and foster families during some of the most difficult times in a child's life.
Click Here to Listen to an Interview...
The committee hearing allowed foster families to share serious problems they were experiencing including allegations of retaliation after filing complaints, lack of support, and insurmountable bureaucratic problems. The Office of Performance Evaluation provided an overview of numerous reports they have shared, but the lingering problem that has not been resolved in the department is a culture that has prevented positive change.
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BALLOT INITIATIVES & ELECTIONS
Having free access to the ballot is a sacred right that Americans hold dear, and one would think that creating ways to make voting more accessible would be a priority for all of us. However, I have found the Idaho Republican Party to do just the opposite too many times.
Last week S1371 passed out of State Affairs, but not without a fight between factions of the Republican Party. The legislation would move all primary elections, including the presidential primary, to the third Tuesday in April. This would be a good compromise and good timing for all primary elections, including those elections for school bonds and levies. A good solution to the mess we're in, but far right GOP members are still trying to block this common sense solution.
The committee hearing was dominated with re-hashing of the errors made by the GOP last year when they inadvertently removed the presidential primary, altogether, in their efforts to move it from March to May. After another bill followed to fix the error, the hard right GOP members led by Chairwoman Dorothy Moon blocked that bill which resulted in the reason we have to hold caucuses instead of primary elections.
The Democrats fought to restore the primary election process since a caucus disenfranchises voters and makes if very hard to access the voting mechanism. Veterans, anyone homebound or not mobile, elderly people without transportation, and so many more couldn't show up to vote.
And most appalling are the reports from this weekend's GOP caucus where there were polling sites using buckets to collect their makeshift ballots. So much for ballot security at the GOP Caucus!!!!!
 Insidious Attack on Ballot Initiatives
S1377, which places a significant barrier on the signature gathering for ballot initiatives passed out of committee on a party line vote. The bill requires paid signature gatherers to verbally tell anyone they approach that they are being paid to gather signatures, which doesn't sound so bad. However, IF THEY FAIL TO DO SO or they FORGOT TO WEAR THEIR NAME-TAG, someone could bring a complaint to throw out the entire page of signatures, if even only one signature was collected without this notification.
So, imagine someone doesn't agree with a ballot measure, like open primaries; they could allege they were not notified and then attempt to throw out the entire page of signatures, even if the signatures of those people were obtained with notification. Imagine the same types of people who are attacking school boards over content...
I felt so angry when this bill passed out of Senate State Affairs on a party line vote; some of the most egregious actions by the GOP-dominated legislature are those that interfere with the ballot initiative process. The actions are a direct assault on the voters' rights to hold their unresponsive government accountable, just as 62% of Idaho voters did on Medicaid Expansion.
The Republican supermajority can't leave the voters alone and continue to find new ways to place barriers for signature gathering and initiatives, themselves.
This bill will be debated on the Senate floor this week; if it passes, please track this bill, which should show up in House State Affairs, and testify against it if you value the initiative process.
Election Vacancies - Let the People Decide
H497 passed out of the House; it prevents someone from holding a legislative seat and a city council seat or mayor, which feels like a direct attack on a couple of Boise Democrats who ran for city council while holding a legislative seat. Sen Maryanne Jordan served as a city council member and a senator. Rep Nash won a city council seat and had a substitute when he took office until the district advanced names to the Governor for his replacement, Rep Achilles. And Rep Chew has a substitute due to her diagnosis of cancer. It is up to the voters who should decide who sits in which seats, not the legislature. Legislators have plenty of conflicts and we are required to declare those conflicts. This bill doesn't include county commissioners, sheriffs, or otherwise, so some argued that this seems unfair.
Restricting Absentee Voting
H573 is still in committee This bill would repeal no-excuse absentee voting that has been in effect since 1970. It is a safe, secure, and popular way to cast a ballot in Idaho. This bill would require Idahoans to meet a narrow list of reasons to vote by mail. The list of valid excuses does not include having to work a long shift, caregiver responsibilities in the home, or lack of transportation. The bill also would restrict individuals and organizations from assisting Idahoans in requesting their absentee ballot, which is a yearly task!
 Polling Place Free from Interference
S1244 passed the Senate and makes it unlawful to electioneer less than 250 feet from the entrance into the polling location. This bill arose after conflicts occurred at some polling locations and people complained that they were being harassed by people advocating for them to vote a specific way. I think this is a great bill to prevent harassment of voters and allow people to freely engage in voting.
Comprehensive Voter Guide
S1273 directs the Secretary of State’s Office to prepare a comprehensive voters’ guide for primary and general elections, to be distributed to every household in Idaho.
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GENERAL UPDATES
ACTION NEEDED
Young Adults Lose Privacy for Some Care
S1329 allows parents be involved in young people’s medical decisions and have unlimited access to private medical information, regardless of a young person’s relationship with that parent. This is a huge blow to the safety of Idaho children. This is a small carve out that lets young people seek important care like behavioral health counseling, substance abuse and sexually transmitted infection treatments in case they are living in a hostile home. In a state where parents can marry off their 16 or 17 year old WITHOUT their consent, it's pretty hypocritical that young adults can't even have privacy over some of their medical records.
Counselors Given Permission to Discriminate
Unfortunately, S1352 passed the Senate, which would give counselors a free pass to abandon a client if their lifestyle conflicts with some aspect of their religious beliefs. This sinister piece of legislation would allow for a person in desperate need of help to be suddenly dropped by a counselor, and the counselor would not be required to even refer the patient to a different, better suited professional. This puts vulnerable patients at risk. The small group of people who testified shared their concerns about counseling people who are gay and trasngender. The ugly truth reared its head, but the bill still passed.
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Attack on Health Care Defeated
H615, killed in committee, was intended to attack undocumented residents of Idaho by prohibiting access to any non-emergency medical care. This not only puts the health of those who are directly affected by denying preventative care, but also allows for illnesses to worsen, eventually becoming emergencies, costing the state more money in the end.
Domestic Terrorism Defeated
S1220 and H623, the infamous "domestic terrorism" bills were stopped in House Judiciary and Rules due to Democratic efforts. These bills would require that the charge of domestic terrorism only be applied if the criminal actor was tied to a foreign entity. This would of course exempt many well known domestic terrorists from the full consequences of their actions: Timothy McVeigh, the Boston Bombers, and the Unabomber would all have been exempted by this bill.
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WHERE'S SEN WINTROW???
STATEHOUSE SCAVENGER HUNT
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Join me for a fun STATEHOUSE SCAVENGER HUNT
Winner Gets Lunch with Me to Learn More About Idaho Politics
- Each week, I'll post a photo of me in the Statehouse (above). This is Week 2.
- You guess where I am.
- Contact me at Wintrow for Idaho and share your guess on my contact form. Be specific with floor and location.
- My intern will track responses.
- The person with most correct answers wins lunch, and I'll buy!
This one is a little harder than last week.
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District 19 Town Halls
Representatives Necochea, Mathias, and I strive to be responsive to our constituents through the Legislative Session. To that end, we have again scheduled town halls throughout the district this year. Please join us for one (or more) of these gatherings.
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RSVP | Wednesday, March 13th, 6-7PM
Lincoln Auditorium - Idaho State Capitol
700 W Jefferson St, Boise
I hope to see you soon and thank you for the honor of serving District 19.
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IN THE STATEHOUSE
Alzheimer's Disorders and Related Dementias
This wonderful group of volunteers was in the Statehouse this week, raising awareness about the impacts of Alzheimer's and other related dementias.
On March 4, my bill (S1247) will be up for debate on the Senate floor.
I have been working for over a year with community stakeholders to find a safe and compassionate way to get someone with a neurocognitive disorder to a medical professional if they become a danger to themselves or others.
An undetected or undiagnosed medical condition, like a urinary tract infection, can easily escalate a problem and put someone in crisis. This bill provides a way to do a medical assessment to see if there is a medical problem creating a crisis so folks can be treated and then returned to their home quickly.
Many people with dementia or Alzheimer's have been inappropriately and illegally placed on mental health holds which increases trauma and delays care. This bill will allow a physician to do medical treatment and get them out of the hospital as efficiently as possible.
Stay tuned for more information next week!
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It was a joy to walk with students from Whittier Elementary which is in my district. Every year, Blue Cross of Idaho challenges elected officials to participate in the Steps for Schools walking challenge which raises funds for a school of our choice to purchase equipment that encourages students to be active. Last year, 74 legislators raised $48,000 for Idaho schools!
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KONIE SUMS UP THE MOOD!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
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Local news resources to stay updated on the legislature:
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