IDAHO STATE CAPITOL — Idaho Democratic lawmakers are relieved the federal court has enjoined the 2020 abortion ban for its clear violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Now Democratic lawmakers call on the Attorney General (AG) and the GOP-controlled legislature to end their opposition to the Department of Justice’s lawsuit to block this cruel, poorly written …
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Idaho continues to make national news for its booming real estate market as people flock to the Gem State in droves, causing home values and rental costs to skyrocket. As a result, people who’ve lived here for generations are being forced to move to other states. In some cases, Idahoans are losing their housing and becoming homeless for the very …
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The ballot initiative is the voice of the people. It’s the only mechanism for Idahoans to enact a law when legislators won’t listen. This session, Idahoans’ ballot initiative rights were put on the chopping block, and GOP legislators swung the axe. It’s already extremely difficult to get an initiative on the ballot, but S1110 would make it essentially impossible by …
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On Monday, the House State Affairs Committee voted 12-2 to send Senate Bill 1110 to the full House, despite overwhelmingly negative testimony against the legislation, which seeks to add additional hurdles to the ballot initiative and referendum process in Idaho. The two Democrats on the committee, Reps. John Gannon and Chris Mathias, were the only opposing votes. Mathias, who grew …
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It’s no secret property taxes are one of the biggest concerns for many of Idaho’s homeowners. We all want a fair system for collecting the revenue that makes law enforcement, fire response, and other critical services possible. Unfortunately, state policies have shifted the tax load overwhelmingly onto residents and away from commercial properties. New legislation being proposed in the Senate’s …
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On Jan. 20, many of us let out a shared sigh of relief. With President Joe Biden being sworn into office, it feels like our nation is finally headed in the direction of empathy toward our fellow man, progress toward shared goals and competence in government. We cannot overlook, however, the deep scars the last four years — and most …
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On Friday, Governor Brad Little announced that the Idaho National Guard would be mobilized through executive order to assist in the response to the coronavirus pandemic. He also rolled Idaho back to Stage 2 of the Idaho Rebounds plan with modifications to the previously outlined guidelines. Under the new Stage 2 plan, gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited …
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The special session was more dangerous and uncivil that Idaho citizens could have ever predicted. The week before the special session of the Idaho Legislature began, Idaho Democratic legislators met (virtually) to discuss how to be safe and healthy. We had hoped that there would be some precautions in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus, even if they were …
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Idaho State Capitol – In the committees’ most recent meeting, CFAC allocated $69,052.43 of CARES act funding to the Boise Police Department (BPD). The funding will pay for the officers’ service during the special session of the Idaho legislature in late August. This is on top of the amount of $76 thousand dollars that was allocated last week for the …
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On Friday afternoon, Governor Little announced that he would use $99 million from the CARES act to supplement the $99 million in education cuts that he announced earlier this year. Representative Melissa Wintrow/(D-Boise) was relieved to hear the announcement from the Governor. “As a Representative on the ground floor of education funding and the handling of the state’s budget as …
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