March 25, 2022

Bill to Provide In-home Caregivers Property Tax Relief Passes House

On Friday, a bipartisan bill to provide in-home caregivers property tax relief passed the House in a 51-14 vote. Senate Bill 1259, sponsored by Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise), allows a person who owns a certified family home to qualify for the state’s property tax reduction program, known as the circuit breaker, by exempting the payment they receive from the state …

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March 25, 2022

Governor Signs Bill to Help Educators in High-need, Rural Areas with Education Costs

On Friday, Gov. Brad Little signed legislation to help educators in high-need and rural areas with various educational costs. Senate Bill 1290, sponsored by Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking (D-Boise) and Rep. Sally Toone (D-Gooding), establishes a rural educator incentive program for educators who work in high-need or rural school districts and charter schools. It would provide the maximum amount of eligible …

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March 24, 2022

House GOP kills budget for Idaho Commission for Libraries

On Thursday, a majority of House Republicans voted to defeat the appropriations budget for the Idaho Commission for Libraries. House Bill 824 died in a 33-36 vote. The legislation had been reworked twice, and objections from legislators led to $307,000 being cut from the commission’s budget, which would eliminate a statewide e-book collection. The ongoing money had been used annually …

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March 23, 2022

Governor Signs Bill to Remove Racially Restrictive Covenants from Home Deeds

Legislation to remove racially restrictive language from property covenants and deeds was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Brad Little.  Senate Bill 1240, sponsored by Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise), unanimously passed both the House and Senate. It allows homeowners and/or tenants to go to their county clerk’s office and update their housing covenant free of charge in compliance with the …

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March 16, 2022

House GOP Again Kills Resolution Honoring Sawtooth National Recreation Area

On Wednesday, House Republicans killed a concurrent resolution honoring the 50th anniversary of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in a 22-45 vote. House Concurrent Resolution 51 celebrated the federal act that officially preserved the 760,000-acre land in 1972. An earlier resolution, Senate Concurrent Resolution 117, was killed in the House on an 18-51 vote March 10 after unanimously passing the …

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March 7, 2022

“We represent Idaho, not the IFF” – by Rep. James Ruchti and Sen. David Nelson

The 2021 session was disappointing for a number of reasons, but the legislature rejecting a $6 million grant to develop early-learning initiatives for children might have been the lowest point. That money would have helped communities build and fund preschool programs in accordance with local needs and values. But Republicans were bullied by the Idaho Freedom Foundation into voting against …

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March 2, 2022

Idaho House Passes Bipartisan Joint Memorial Condemning Russian Invasion of Ukraine

On Wednesday, the Idaho House of Representatives unanimously passed a bipartisan joint memorial condemning Russia for its military invasion of Ukraine, which began last Thursday. House Joint Memorial 6, sponsored by Reps. Matt Bundy (R-Mountain Home) and Colin Nash (D-Boise), commends the bravery and resolve of the Ukrainian people in defending their country from Russian troops, and asks Gov. Brad …

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