Right to Vote
Elections are over. Whether the candidate you voted for was successful or not, the important thing is, you voted. The 15thamendment of the United States Constitution and Article 1 Section 19 of the Idaho Constitution guarantee your right to vote. It is a right that should never be taken for granted.
Last session there was an attempt to rewrite the ballot initiative process (SJR101), making it incredibly difficult for the public to place an issue on the ballot for Idahoans to vote on. Thankfully, that attempt failed. My number one priority is protecting our right to vote - our right to have a voice in what we call the democratic process.
It was very encouraging to see so many of our Wood River Valley youth involved with the election process this November. A big shout out to educator Heidi Husbands for her passion in teaching the next generation about our form of government, including the importance of having thoughtful dialogue amongst ourselves and remembering that disagreeing with someone does not make them the enemy. It makes them a source of information. I like to remind myself that no matter how thin the line might be, there always two sides of it. It is helpful to see things from more than one perspective when making decisions. While our Democratic Republic might not be perfect, it sure is better than any other form of government I have yet come across.
For those people who chose to run for office, I thank you. Please stay engaged with the issues that prompted you to run. It is that kind of participation that makes our democracy work. To quote Heidi, “politics is not for the weary at heart”. It is time consuming, exhausting, expensive, but very worthwhile.
SB 1161 Empowering Parents Grant Program.
This bill underwent extensive debate. In the end, it passed the Senate floor 19-15-1. This bill takes $30 million from the above mentioned $330 million to fund the Empowering Parents Grant program. This bill also creates a pilot program for five years for up to 2,000 students per year to provide a tuition grant of $6,000 per student. This money will be used for private schooling. As a colleague said, “this is a winner for 2000 students, the rest of the students lose.”
HB 292 is a property tax relief bill.
It would provide $355 million in tax relief immediate and ongoing. It also provides $100 million to public schools to pay off bonds and levies, with the ability to use any leftover money on their facilities. One issue with this is that the bill removes the March school district election date for bonds and levies. This election date was a negotiated date and is important to our school boards. We have worked hard to get this amended but with no luck.
HB 205 is a voting restriction bill.
This would have repealed no-excuse, absentee voting; a method of voting we have had in place since 1970. Fortunately, the bill was killed in the House.
The Best News of the Week
SB 1127 State Dinosaur 35-0
Thanks to the fourth-grade class at South Fork Elementary School, Idaho now has a state dinosaur!!! Oryctodromeus. This is the best known and most common dinosaur found in Idaho. This dinosaur has only been discovered in Idaho. This dinosaur is believed to have been an herbivore that cared for its young in family groups underground. Pretty cool to have state dinosaur! (I stood and thanked the fourth graders for not choosing me as the state dinosaur).
I reached my goal of 10,000 steps a day for the month of February. Blue Cross of Idaho challenged all legislators to achieve this. As a result, Blue Cross of Idaho will donate $1000.00 dollars to the Valley School District. This year the program generated $47,000.00 dollars for public Idaho elementary schools.
