I’ve knocked on nearly 30,000 doors and spoke with thousands of people from across the political spectrum in my district. This experience has taught me that good ideas and good people come from all directions. It has also helped me define the difference between a politician and a statesman. A politician tends to only represent the people who vote for …
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Amid Idaho’s growing housing crisis, the House GOP passed legislation to remove renter protections in a 54-14 vote. 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 …
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I worked for the Hewlett Packard Company in Boise for over 30 years. I retired when I was elected to the Idaho Legislature in 2018. A group of former HP employees were recently asked to recount their favorite Bill and Dave story (referring to the founders, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard). Here’s mine. It reveals what I believe to be …
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One of my west Ada County legislative colleagues spilled the beans. Arguing against being too hasty, this colleague countered during floor debate: “We haven’t been hasty. We’ve been working on some of these bills since July.” Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Exhibit A for political malpractice. A majority party that controls 80% of the Senate and over 82% …
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When I was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in 2018, I requested, and was assigned to the Education committee. Given the challenges facing education, such as endless school bonds and levies, a teacher attrition crisis and childhood illiteracy, I was eager to start working toward the goal of solving these problems. After three years on the committee, my …
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You’re being bamboozled. Republican Party leaders repeatedly say you should be afraid of “tax-and-spend Democrats.” Instead, there are over two billion reasons you should be afraid of them. Over the last five years, the legislature has forced school districts across the state to float nearly $2.1 BILLION in local bonds and levies. This includes many conservative, rural school districts across the …
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When I started my first term in 2019, nearly every long-time Capitol observer told me it was the worst legislative session they ever experienced. In 2020, they told me that was the worst legislative session ever. And now they’re saying in 2021 this is the worst session ever – and we’re only at the halfway mark. Why is that? Well, …
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During the 2020 campaign, my opponent and his party ran on the slogan, “Faith Family Freedom.” Those are great values. They aren’t partisan values – they’re American values. People of all political stripes attend the church of their choice. Everyone, regardless of their political affiliation, wants the best for their family and loved ones. And Arlington cemetery is the final …
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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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Most people understand that the role of a legislator is to help write the laws that govern us. That’s what we do from January through March when the state legislature is in session. However, there’s another part of the job that is seldom discussed – being a public servant. My work doesn’t stop when the session ends. What does it …
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