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I'm inspired by the RESILIENCE of our community, showing up at the Statehouse over and over to fight ignorant and harmful policies.
I'm with you and
I WON'T BACK DOWN!
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Click on the video above and enjoy the music while you finish reading!
It's been another tough week and common sense decision making takes it on the chin again! Senate Health and Welfare Committee decides to police food choices for food assistance recipients and cuts food assistance and health care for children of people who may be "undocumented." Where are their priorities!?
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Denying Prenatal Care &
Food Assistance for Kids
Where are Those Family Values Now?
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 The Senate Health and Welfare Committee, in another predictable and harmful move passed H135 that strips decades long protections for health care and food assistance for children whose parents can't verify their status as US citizen.
In 2007 a law was enacted prohibiting the receipt of certain state benefits based on immigration status. At that time after long debates, it was determined by the legislature that adults who are not "documented" would not receive certain kinds of state assistance but children, most of whom are US citizens born here, would be eligible for food assistance and prenatal and postnatal care.
So, the party of family values just stripped benefits away from vulnerable children because it's not our job! Where are those family values now? Well, it's probably because these families aren't members of the right kind of family that is celebrated in the passage of HRC18 earlier in the session.
Most of the testimony opposed the bill, but once again that fell on deaf ears of the Republicans as they rejected common sense and compassion.
In a callous approach, the bill sponsor said "those people" should "go back to where they are supposed to legally be in order to access services" and not rely on US taxpayers. But what he ignores is that 35,000 unauthorized workers in Idaho PAY TAXES and most of the kids he's cutting out were born in the US, which makes them citizens.
According to the McClure Center of Public Policy study in 2024, most unauthorized immigrants work in agriculture, construction and service industries. Hispanic unauthorized immigrants’ buying power in Idaho was estimated at $570 million in 2019 and was projected to continue to grow.
So maybe we should think about that the next time we buy milk, potatoes, and sugar at the store at a reasonable price.
Regardless if unauthorized workers are paying taxes, this bill would deny access to prenatal and postnatal care to unauthorized workers who are pregnant, likely causing a higher risk of complications and adverse outcomes for newborns.
This bill would restrict access to state funded food programs, like SNAP and the Idaho Food Bank, even if the child is an American born citizen. This directly conflicts with the federal regulations of SNAP which clearly state that children under 18 may receive benefits regardless of immigration status.
And by the way, we'll just cross out the Supremacy clause while we're at it and ignore the federal law. Par for the Idaho course.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MY RESPONSE IN COMMITTEE
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The New Nanny State & Food Choices
In another nanny state, controlling move, the legislature thinks by eliminating candy and soda, including sugar free candy and soda, from SNAP benefits for low income Idahoans, they solve the obesity problem. I almost laughed out loud at the hearing. This is what they're spending time on!
The average SNAP benefit is $179 per month, so I'm not sure how this latest move will really move the needle on obesity. And this group of Republicans ignores that earlier in the session their colleagues cut out public health education funding to address diabetes and obesity in the Public Health Budgets.
The Republicans have fallen trap to "make America Healthy Again" template legislation that is passing in red states throughout the country. Instead of focusing on issues that really make improvements in health, they settle for narrow-minded and silly approaches that take pot shots at poor people and excise governmental control.
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 Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee passed H270 this week to amend the indecent exposure law. Most notably, it includes new language that criminalizes the public exposure of "medically or hormonally altered male breasts."
This bill is a clear and blatant attack on transgender Idahoans.
We have had criminal statues on the books for almost 20 years that deal with people exposing their genitals, nipples, and areolas in a willful and offensive way. Adding more laws goes against the legislature’s goal this session of “cleaning up code” and is wasteful and unnecessary. We don’t need to police people’s clothing beyond what we already have on the books.
This legislation is policing WHO shows what parts of their body versus WHAT parts of the body are actually shown.
You can’t criminalize someone’s expression just because you don’t like WHO is expressing it. That’s a first amendment violation. And last week, we had a bill about protecting free speech on college campuses. And I wouldn’t think that we would limit our tolerance of free speech simply on a college campus.
NOTE: The bill includes "toys or products intended to resemble male of female genitals."
 So be careful art enthusiasts when you go to the museum to view the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit or you're buying cards at the local drug store!
And if you know someone who hangs "truck nutz" from their truck's trailer hitch or crude nude women truck flaps as well, be ready for the police to pull you over.
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Published in the Idaho Statesmen, March 22, 2025
Gov. Brad Little recently signed into law the largest and most reckless tax cut in Idaho history, permanently slashing state revenue by $253 million. Instead of helping struggling families put food on the table, Little and Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, chose to funnel more money into the pockets of the wealthy elite at the direct expense of core services that keep our state functioning.
House Bill 40 is a regressive tax policy that cuts the income tax rate from 5.695% to 5.3% and is structured to benefit Idaho’s most wealthy. Families earning between $55,000 and $91,000 a year will see an average tax break of $127. Meanwhile, Idahoans in the top 1%, earning $738,300 or more annually, will pocket $5,358 in tax cuts.
So while most people get a trip to the grocery store, the wealthiest get a vacation to Mexico. This, and other bills passed or likely to pass this session, will only widen the gap between the elite and everyone else....
Click Here to Read More on My Website
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Governor Signs Bill to
Extend Resources to Foster Youth
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It's an honor to co-sponsor H245 that extends resources for foster youth up to age 23.
I’ve served on the Child Protection Oversight Committee for many years and know just how critical this bill is in terms of providing a supportive on-ramp for foster youth to transition successfully into stable, successful lives. No young person should be forced into homelessness simply because they aged out of foster care, and HB 245 gives them the time and resources they need to build their future. This is a commonsense, bipartisan step forward that will change lives, and I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in support of it. Idaho’s future is brighter when we invest in all of our kids."
Click Here to Learn More
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Bill to Expand the Death Penalty
This week Senate Judiciary and Rules passed H380, which expands the death penalty to now include lewd and lascivious acts against a minor under 12. Even though we can all agree that harming a minor is abhorrent, this is not an easy decision to make since this is a major shift in policy; currently someone could get life in prison, but the death penalty has been limited to homicide.
Unfortunately, only 4 people testified in this very short hearing: a prosecuting attorney, a criminal defense attorney, a leader of a "tough on crime" organization, and a GOP county party chair. This topic is so serious and warrents a much longer and more significant discussion where experts can come together to discuss all sides of this issue. It may be that we should add this crime to the death penalty, but without thorough review of factors and data about these crimes, it feels premature to add this to the death penalty statute.
 The bill sponsor was honest with his feelings and said he believed the government had a role in seeking "retribution" for these crimes. Granted, I don't know what I would personally do if someone harmed a child I know or a loved one, but we also have to seriously consider the role of the STATE in killing someone for their crimes. Plus, there is no consistent research that indicates that punishments, including the death penalties, deter violent crime.
The bill creates a list of aggravating circumstances to allow the prosecutor to seek the death penalty; they can choose from 3 of the 17 elements to make the case, but I struggled with this approach since not all the factors are on the same level of severity.
Interestingly enough, that day, the chaplain's homily that begins each floor session, focused on humility and showing a willingness to see all sides of a situation, letting go of bias to make the best decisions. I thought a lot about that in committee, because like the sponsor and many committee members, it made my stomach turn to think about some of the heinous crimes that are committed against children.
In the end, I couldn't vote in good faith in favor of a bill that we spent less than an hour on with only 4 testifiers. We all are angry about anyone harming a child. That's not being debated. But should the state incorporate that anger into killing someone? I did my best on this one, but feel free to let me know if you feel differently before we vote on the floor of the Senate.
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Hold Congress Accountable
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 As you have likely seen, Republican lawmakers are facing massive backlash and even choosing not to hold town halls as anger about this presidential administration comes to a head.
Idaho is no exception, as hundreds of Idahoans gathered this week to demand a town hall with Mike Crapo in hopes of getting answers about what is happening at the federal level.
If you have concerns that need heard you can
- attend town hall meetings being held in your districts by your Democratic legislators
- Democratic Legislators will be taking a summer tour throughout the state and conducting townhalls where GOP Congressmen aren't
- Former U.S. Representatives Richard Stallings and Larry LaRocco have launched a tour of Idaho to hear Idahoans out. You can find and RSVP to their events and many others at the Idaho Democratic Party webpage.
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More Young People in Politics
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Story by Gabrielle Wright, high school intern
Renaissance High School and Idaho Fine Arts Academy students rallied on March 13th, organizing and participating in a walk out to protest the recent West Ada District policy enforcement that led to a history teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School having to take down her “everyone is welcome” sign. West Ada justified the enforcement of their policy in a district wide memo stating the poster was a “political opinion.” In response, these young students organized an effective act of civil disobedience and showed the district that signs displaying kindness and acceptance only improve a classroom environment, not divide it. The brave students gathered outside of the West Ada district building and rallied, sharing personal stories and chanting things like “Who’s welcome here? Everyone is welcome here!” Youth are the future, and I couldn’t be more grateful that we have such an upstanding generation of involved young people coming into local politics and advocating for what’s right.
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Governor Signs Bill on Coroner Reforms
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S1101 passed the House Judiciary, Rules, & Administration Committee on Monday and was signed into law by Governor Little on Tuesday. This bill outlines duties, responsibilities, and training of county coroners and requirements about death investigations. This is a great step in the right direction of improving public safety and increasing consistency across our state regarding death investigations and autopsies, something very important to victim's families in the pursuit of justice.
Representative Pickett and I worked with county coroners over the summer on drafting this bill, which was created to address recommendations from an Office of Performance Evaluation review presented in JLOC that outlined gaps in law and public safety concerns. In a strong bipartisan effort, everyone on JLOC cosponsored the bill.
Just last week, another report was released outlining a county by county needs assessment to continue to guide more work on our coroner system. It's such an honor to work with stakeholders to find solutions to problems and update our coroner system.
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I met some great people this week out at the protest for Medicaid!
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Met a great constituent and Mari from the Idaho Hispanic Foundation at H135 hearing. They are powerful.
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This is Lisa Bearg, the substitute Senator for Senator Ali Rabe this week!
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Biggest Disappointment of the Week
Brad Little Cheers as Trump Abolishes the Department of Education, Harms Idaho Schools
In response to Donald Trump signing an executive order to shut down the Department of Education and Brad Little cheering him on, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea released the following statement:
 "Brad Little cares more about clinging to power than fighting for Idaho schools. He already pushed voucher schemes that siphon public dollars from classrooms. Now he’s in Washington, applauding as Donald Trump and the corrupt billionaire he put in charge of education tear it all down. Lunch programs. College aid. Special education. Student debt relief. Vocational training. School safety. Funding for low-income and rural schools. Gone. And don’t count on Idaho to step up. Under total Republican control, our schools rank dead last in funding. Teachers are overworked and underpaid. Class sizes are exploding. Rural schools are barely hanging on. We should be investing in kids instead of billionaires. If you’re a public school student, a parent of a child with special needs, or a family trying to build a better future, Little has made it clear whose side he’s on. And it’s not yours."
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Local news resources to stay updated on the legislature:
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