House Concurrent 29, sponsored by Rep. Brooke Green (D-Boise) and Sen. David Nelson (D-Moscow), passed the full House earlier this month, and encourages state officers, agencies, and employees to become better informed on the long- and short-term impacts of severe emotional trauma on children and adult survivors. These serious traumatic events are referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, and occur before a child reaches 18 years old.

The resolution encourages the implementation of evidence-based interventions and practices, which are proven to be successful in identifying risk and helping children and adults suffering from trauma-related disorders develop resiliency and tools to heal.

Nelson said the legislation was a bipartisan effort. He and Green partnered closely with Rep. Laurie Lickley (R-Jerome) and Sen. Jeff Agenbroad (R-Nampa), both of whom serve with them on the Idaho Behavioral Health Council. The resolution was the result of the work done by the council to improve behavioral health systems in Idaho. During the last year, its members, which come from all three branches of state government, identified ways to decrease agency silos, reduce barriers to recovery and treatment, and identify any missing services. 

House Bill 442 would prevent cities from setting reasonable maximum fees or deposits for residential rental properties, like application fees or pet deposits. With cities unable to ensure these basic protections, there are no checks on unscrupulous landlords who can bankrupt families with exorbitant fees. 

Idaho is home to some of the most overvalued housing markets in America, which ripens opportunities for exploitative practices against desperate renters, and HB 442 weakens the ability of local officials to respond to this crisis. The National Low Income Housing Coalition shows 30% of Idahoans are renters. As the legislation is written, landlords would be able to collect application fees or security deposits from an unlimited number of people, charging whatever they want, without ever having to prove a unit is even available.

“This bill is proof that Idaho renters have no allies in the Idaho GOP. This bill offends the notion that the government closest to the people governs best and paves the way for tenants to be exploited by out-of-state property managers who are gobbling up investment properties at the expense of Idahoans who are increasingly struggling to afford a most basic human need, a place to live,” Rep. Colin Nash said.

“Government should protect consumers from unscrupulous bad actors. This bill protects unscrupulous bad actors from consumers,”  Rep. Steve Berch said.

“Our local communities should have the right to respond to the pressing issues impacting them. The application fee ordinance was the city of Boise’s appropriate response to the predatory behavior that is preventing our neighbors from putting a roof above their heads. Until we have a statewide solution, I will continue to support my community in protecting renters from this egregious behavior,” Rep. Brooke Green said.

“While many long-standing Idaho landlords treat renters fairly, we are seeing an increase in out-of-state investors turning the desperation of renters into quick cash with predatory fees. With a severe shortage of homes and prices skyrocketing, Idahoans are easy targets. This bill takes away the ability of local leaders to provide basic consumer protections so that Idaho families can get a fair shake,” Rep. Lauren Necochea said. 

Rep. Brooke Green

On Tuesday, the Idaho Behavioral Health Council was honored for its work to improve Idahoans’ access to mental health services.

The state’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Idaho) presented the council — which features members from each branch of government, including Sen. David Nelson and Rep. Brooke Green — with the second annual Kathie Garrett award, given to mental health advocates.

“It was such an honor for the Behavioral Health Council to be recognized by NAMI Idaho today,” Green said. “ I have committed my legislative career to addressing this issue, and I’m grateful to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle this crisis in our state. Together, we are working to make sure Idahoans have the quality of life they deserve.”

The council participants include all three branches of government — the legislative, executive and judicial — working together to address the behavioral health needs of Idahoans. During the last year, its members took a systematic look at the state’s behavioral health system, and identified ways to decrease agency silos, reduce barriers to recovery and treatment, and identify any missing services.

Sen. David Nelson

That information was compiled into a strategic plan, which the council presented this past summer to Gov. Brad Little, legislative leadership, and the Idaho Supreme Court. It covered state actions through 2024, and included a set of 34 recommendations — nine of which were identified as key priorities for the next three years — to improve Idahoans’ access to care.

“Behavioral health issues impact our communities at all levels and citizens of all ages,” Nelson said. “As more Idahoans seek out these types of services, we have to make sure they can get the appropriate help, no matter what part of the state they call home — and that’s what the council was created to do. I’m really proud of our work, and so thankful to receive this award.”

Sen. David Nelson

Behavioral health issues impact our communities at all levels: schools, hospitals, courts, jails, and more. This is why the Idaho Behavioral Health Council — which features members from each branch of government, including the two of us — was created. So, we can ensure individuals living with mental illness and/or addiction receive the services they need when they need them.

In the past year, we’ve been developing a strategic plan for Idaho, by working collaboratively with local governments, medical providers, community partners, and consumers of behavioral health services and their families. We took a systematic look at the entire system to decrease agency silos, reduce barriers to recovery and treatment, and identify what Idaho is missing.

This summer, we presented the first draft of the plan to Gov. Brad Little, legislative leadership, and the Idaho Supreme Court. It covers state actions through 2024, and includes a set of 34 recommendations — nine of which were identified as key priorities for the next three years — to improve Idahoans’ access to care.

Rep. Brooke Green

Access to providers who are paid fairly is a key recommendation. Currently all of Idaho, but particularly rural Idaho, lacks access to incensed and/or certified behavioral health providers. Our recommendation to developing a comprehensive workforce plan across all our regions will help increase the amount of providers in Idaho. Additionally, we recommended piloting a federal Certified Community Behavioral Clinic model, which in other states has led to more providers and more treatment options.

Idaho’s lack of behavioral assistance has resorted to families and individuals finding the judicial system as their only means for assistance. All too often in Idaho a person with behavioral health challenges ends up arrested or in jail, and that’s their first interaction with the behavioral health system. We have a set of recommendations that seek to involve people who need care earlier and minimize the involvement of the criminal justice system. Our goal is make it easy for folks to access the right care when they need it during the whole spectrum of their treatment and recovery process.

We also have a series of recommendations on recovery and resiliency. It’s tragic for a child to be  traumatized growing up, and we need to avoid the lifelong effects that can follow. We will build programs to promote longterm resiliency. Recovering from addiction or a mental health disease is often a lifelong process. We know our regional recovery community centers are critical components, which is why we must improve the support they receive and also identify other services we may be missing.

While there is still much work to be done to ensure this plan becomes a reality, it is a giant step forward for our state. Each year, more and more Idahoans are seeking behavioral health services due to a myriad of reasons. But there are even more who don’t seek help — we must change that.

Substance abuse and mental health issues can ruin people’s lives. They are diseases that need to be treated, not stigmatized. We were really inspired by all the medical professionals, government officials, and plain folks with these experience who contributed to this plan. Lots of care but also clear-eyed focus was brought to bear, and we are encouraged we have a plan that will significantly help Idahoans in the long run.

We look forward to learning how the plan’s recommendations will be implemented across state agencies, and are so grateful to have participated in this process.

Rep. Brooke Green

The legislation is drafted by Reps. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, and Brooke Green, D-Boise, and aims to protect one’s privacy within the home, irrespective of their chosen profession.

The pair said targeted picketing applies to someone who demonstrates outside an individual’s residence or dwelling with the intent to harass, annoy, or alarm. It wouldn’t apply to people whose homes function as their principal place of business.

Rep. Greg Chaney

“We saw this kind of behavior happen numerous times during the past year to elected officials and civil servants, alike. We can’t allow it to occur anymore. Intimidation isn’t a form of democratic expression; it’s mob rule,” Chaney said. “If you want to demonstrate, that’s fine — that’s American — but showing up in front of someone’s house to show them and their family they aren’t safe, crosses a major boundary.”

“The home is a person’s last place of retreat. It needs to remain that way,” Green added. “There is an appropriate way to engage in a civil or political disagreement, and this isn’t it.”

Rep. Brooke Green, District 18

In early December, Ada County Commissioner was forced to leave her office in the middle of a health district meeting, panic-stricken, due to a mob of angry people outside her home, with only her 12-year-old son inside at the time.

In late April, an agitated crowd assembled outside a Meridian police officer’s house to protest an arrest he had made earlier that day. The officer’s address was publicly disseminated, encouraging a group to gather there and harass the officer and his family.

Another incident took place in late August, when several of the Boise City Council members woke to find drawings of butterflies on the bottom of their driveway from activists who, in the midnight hour, found it appropriate to express their displeasure of their recent vote to increase spending for the Boise Police Department.

This is not protest, it is intimidation. Making one’s point does not require holding civil servants captive in their homes while instilling fear for them and their families’ safety. Showing up at someone’s home is an attempt to accomplish political ends through intimidation — as history has documented — and this is true whether the crowd arrives carrying torches or daisies. Crowds outside of homes pointed out vulnerabilities that such picketers could exploit long before the assault on Congress on January 6 reminded us of the danger angry mobs represented. Intimidation isn’t a form of democratic expression — it’s mob rule.

Rep. Greg Chaney, District 10

That’s why we came together to introduce bipartisan legislation to draw a distinction between protest and vigilantism by criminalizing targeted picketing of people’s homes. Intimidation has become the weapon of choice of the fringe elements on the right and the left and it affects more than just civil servants: these bullies make the political process an unwelcome place for any of their fellow citizens who might disagree with them — silencing the voices of the strong majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who don’t share their extremism.

Our traditions of civil discourse are incompatible with mob rule; defending every citizens’ right to have their voices heard requires a bold stance against the intimidation tactics that threaten that right. Together, we’re proud to take a meaningful step in defense of rationality by protecting the sanctity of the home through our shared legislation.

Republican legislators spent most of the time pandering to the far right, and the only really substantive legislation enacted was actually harmful. We left all of our urgent challenges unaddressed. The Idaho legislature did not shield schools from funding cuts, make coronavirus testing more accessible or timely, reduce property taxes for homeowners, get our economy back on track, or resolve any of the other challenges that Idahoans are facing. In fact, the only helpful action that the legislature took was incredibly modest—a bill that gives county election officials a little extra time to process absentee ballots.

The most notable harmful legislation rolled back basic protections from gross negligence. House Bill 6 gives corporations and other institutions a pass when it comes to protecting people from contracting coronavirus.

Earlier versions of the legislation asked businesses to act in good faith and follow local health orders in exchange for immunity from liability. When Republican legislators objected to these safety precautions, the compromise was blanket immunity for all, even in the worst cases. This bill gives businesses permission to defy local orders, reject safety protocols outright, or be egregiously sloppy when it comes to protecting workers, customers, and the community. Even when a business commits extreme negligence, harmed Idahoans no longer have the right to seek redress.

The AARP, representing Idaho seniors, spoke out forcefully in opposition to this bill, explaining that Idahoans who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities need more protection, not less during this pandemic. The AARP also decried that lawful, constitutionally guaranteed protections are stripped by this bill.

This legislation is a solution to a non-existent problem. Six months and over 30,000 cases into this pandemic, no one can point to a single frivolous lawsuit (or any lawsuit at all) in Idaho about coronavirus transmission. Idaho already had robust restrictions against unnecessary lawsuits, and our existing laws squarely protected those who should be protected from lawsuits. If businesses are acting in good faith to follow the law, they need not worry.

Under this new law, there is a huge risk that someone with a legitimate case could be harmed and left without recourse: a health aide who isn’t given proper equipment or a resident of a nursing home without any infection-prevention protocols. There is also a risk that businesses are more likely to have sloppy safety protocols now that the legislature has removed accountability. Our right to seek redress is protected in the U.S. Constitution and the Idaho State Constitution. This virus shouldn’t change that.

The other disappointment was the long frivolous debate about an unconstitutional resolution to end the state’s emergency declaration. This would not make COVID-19 go away, but it would take away our ability to draw much-needed FEMA funds to buy PPE for schools, nursing homes, etc., shifting the burden to already struggling Idahoans to pay for these critical resources. We face dire economic and budget outlooks and should be leveraging every dollar available to help our state fight against this virus. House Republicans used the debate to bemoan the powers vested in the executive branch by the Idaho State Constitution rather than reveal how ending the emergency declaration would solve any problems for Idahoans. The resolution sailed through the House, but was fortunately rejected by cooler heads in the Senate.

Now is the time to come together with the goal of protecting our fellow Idahoans from a terrible virus so that we can get our economy back on track, get our kids back at school, and return to doing the things we miss. This ‘special’ legislative session not only missed the mark, it was aiming at the wrong target.

Tom Luna, the new Idaho GOP Chairman, recently previewed his plan for attacking Democratic candidates this election year:

Step One: Harp nonstop on a report generated for the City of Boise by a nonpartisan team of volunteers, and falsely attribute it to Idaho Democrats, who in fact never wrote, endorsed, or implemented it. The report compiled some citizens’ suggestions, and is not and never has been Democratic policy or platform.

Step Two: Call Democratic legislators “socialists,” ignoring the fact that we are not only capitalists who embrace the importance of businesses large and small, but many of us are business owners ourselves.

Step Three: Hope that voters will settle for name-calling and distortion, and won’t probe into actual positions or records.

This brazen misdirection by the GOP Chairman belies a fear that if Idaho voters really understand Democrats’ positions and the GOP’s dismal single-party governance record, the Republican super-majority would be in jeopardy.

Voters deserve to know where Democrats actually stand. Here is our legislative agenda, plain and simple:

• A Strong Economy. Idaho has lost business opportunities due to inadequate infrastructure, an insufficiently skilled workforce, and a lack of affordable housing. We want to correct these deficiencies.  Let’s be honest—there’s a lot of crony capitalism in this state masquerading as real capitalism.  We’ll do a lot better without a one-party government whose focus is on well-connected insiders rather than making sure everyone has economic opportunity.
• The success of our communities starts with our schools. Teacher pay must be sufficient to recruit and retain quality educators. Lack of funding shouldn’t force schools into four-day weeks and sub-par education programs. Education should be adequately funded by the state as mandated by our Constitution – property taxpayers shouldn’t have to pass levies to keep schools operational.We should be generating a skilled workforce that draws high-wage employers to Idaho, not underfunding higher education, forcing tuition hikes that make a degree unaffordable.
• Fair Taxes. We oppose the GOP’s giant tax cuts and exemptions to those at the top that leave the rest of us with overblown property taxes and underfunded schools and infrastructure. The 2018 Republican income tax cut cost the state over $200 Million annually in revenue, gave over $5,000 a year in cuts to the wealthiest, but only $12 a year to earners in the bottom 20%, while leaving schools underfunded and giving nothing to those needing it most.  The indexed homeowner exemption should be restored and we must increase property tax assistance for seniors and veterans. Millions of dollars a year in internet sales taxes are currently held hostage by the majority party’s infighting. These funds should be used to fund education, repair infrastructure and reduce property taxes. And the legislature should examine the $2.5 billion a year in lost revenue from sales tax exemptions.
• Public Lands. Democrats always fight to protect public lands and your right to access and use them, as well as your right to enjoy clean air and clean water.
• Strong families. Idahoans should not have to work three jobs to support a family. We support gradual increases to the minimum wage and affordable, safe childcare.
• Public Safety. We support our first responders.  We back adequate funding for training and equipment, including ensuring proper standards for use of force.
• Idaho has 187 structurally deficient bridges, and 898 bridges that are past their expected structural life. You deserve roads and bridges that are strong enough for the needs of business and your family’s safety.
• Health Care. We support affordable, quality health care, so we and 61% of Idahoans who agreed with us made Medicaid expansion a reality.

Idaho Democrats are fighting for a more balanced legislature that addresses constituents’ needs.  After thousands of conversations with voters, we have found broad public support for our platform as described above, and the GOP is rightly concerned that a debate on real issues will not play out to their advantage.

In 90 days, you’ll have the chance to correct the harmful imbalance in our legislature. We hope that you’ll join us in paving a better road for Idaho’s future.

Representative Brooke Green/(D-Boise) began working on this legislation during the interim alongside a large group of stakeholders including Saint Alphonsus, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, United Way of Treasure Valley and others with the common goal of making vaping products less accessible to Idaho’s youth.

“Idaho has had a shocking rise in tobacco use among our youth,” Rep. Green explained. “There are currently no federal regulations on the chemicals used in vaping products. Young people may not understand that tobacco use via an electronic smoking device is just as addictive and dangerous as a cigarette. We worked across the aisle to create bipartisan legislation that would help to keep our youth safe.

“This bill had support from policymakers who are concerned about the future of children across the state. This legislation expands the definition of tobacco products to include this new generation of electronic smoking devices that are commonly used by minors.

“I am concerned that people in our communities are falling into addictive habits far too young. Vaping products are marketed toward Idaho’s children. Fun flavors and discrete devices make them easy and fun to use and without parity between traditional tobacco regulations and electronic smoking devices, we have no way of keeping these dangerous devices out of the hands of our teenagers. This is a step in the right direction to reduce youth access to vaping products and end the epidemic of youth tobacco use in Idaho.”

“We know the decades of negative health impacts cigarettes and other tobacco use have had, and while electronic smoking devices have not been around long enough to know long term effects, I think it’s safe to say that the increasing use of these products by youth who are not previous tobacco users is problematic,” Erin Bennett, Government Relations Director at the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association. “This legislation will help prevent these products from getting into the hands of kids who don’t understand how addictive they can be, or how harmful they are to the health of young people who may not see the impact immediately.”

“Ensuring that we aren’t letting electronic smoking devices and other tobacco products fall into the hands of young people who can become more easily addicted, and be victim to health consequences of which we don’t yet know the full extent, is an essential health goal. The legislature, in passing House Bill 538 has taken a crucial step in protecting Idaho’s youth, and we appreciate the effort of every legislator working to help build a healthier Idaho.”

Democrats on the committee voted against the motion to send the legislation to the House floor and were vocal about their opposition.

“If this legislation passes, it will put Idahoans health, and even their lives, in danger.” Representative Brooke Green/(D-Boise) said. “Organizations like Planned Parenthood do not use any public money to pay for abortion in Idaho, but they do use money for life-saving services. Under current law, public funding allows Idahoans to get cancer screenings, STD and HIV testing and treatment, prenatal care, and so much more.”

“Idahoans who cannot afford healthcare go to organizations like Planned Parenthood for important medical services. Our state has very few places where patients can go to get quality, affordable healthcare. We should be taking steps to encourage more affordable healthcare services in Idaho, not putting up roadblocks for the places that are getting it right. I look forward to fighting this legislation on the House floor. I hope that my legislative colleagues will come to their senses and join me in fighting for quality healthcare services in Idaho.”