As we face a global pandemic and the resulting economic fallout, Idahoans may have been hopeful about the legislature’s recent special session. Since the pandemonium at the Statehouse dominated the news, Idahoans may still be wondering what was actually accomplished. The answer, unfortunately, is not much. Republican legislators spent most of the time pandering to the far right, and the …
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Idaho State Capitol – On Wednesday, the Idaho House passed House Bill 6, which would provide immunity from civil liability related to damages or injury from coronavirus, including for grossly negligent conduct. The legislation now awaits a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. All of the Idaho Democratic House Representatives voted against the legislation and argued that it was unnecessary …
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Idaho – On Wednesday, Governor Brad Little issued a proclamation with legislation that will be considered during the Idaho legislature’s special session beginning on August 24, 2020. Out of 6 proposed topics by House and Senate Leadership, Governor Little has proposed three pieces of legislation that address the November 2020 election and civil liability during coronavirus. No other subjects will …
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A hundred years ago, in 1920, the United States came out of the First World War and celebrated a new decade and a changing world. The world was recovering from the Spanish flu pandemic, the automobile industry was beginning to take off, and Americans wrestled with Prohibition. The country was undergoing drastic changes in industry, culture, politics, and so much …
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Idaho – A federal court has granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of House Bill 500, the transgender athlete ban passed by a Republican supermajority during the 2020 session and signed into law by Governor Little. In doing so, the court found that the plaintiffs challenging the law “are likely to succeed in establishing the Act is unconstitutional.” The law …
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2020 is an unprecedented year. Although residents of South-Central Idaho continue to face hardships that defy imagination, our communities have proven their resolve through a heroic commitment to stand together in this time of need. 2020 will surely be seen as a major historical juncture for years to come. Lost amidst all of this year’s turmoil, however, has been another …
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On Friday, the U.S. District Court of Idaho ruled against legislation passed by the Idaho Legislature barring Idahoans from changing their gender marker on their birth certificate. House Bill 509 was in violation of 2018 federal court ruling that decided Idaho’s previous ban on changing gender markers defied the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Senator Maryanne Jordan/(D-Boise) expressed …
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Republican politicians have had supermajority control of the legislature and every statewide office for decades. Under their governance, Idaho has sunk to 51st place in education investment (and, remarkably, now they want to cut another $99 million from our education budget). For seven years they refused to even allow a vote on Medicaid expansion, leaving many thousands of Idahoans to …
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