Rep. James Ruchti

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 the grant, which had been secured by our U.S. senators under the Trump administration. Because of this, Idaho remains one of four states that doesn’t offer public pre-K.

Now the IFF’s Idaho Freedom Action group has launched a smear campaign against us for voting in support of early childhood education, saying we were pushing “critical race theory” on Idaho children. What dangerous nonsense.

Investigation after investigation proves CRT isn’t being taught in our schools at any level. And yet, that false narrative continues to be pushed by the IFF and its legislative puppets in order to defund and undermine public education in Idaho, causing serious damage to our local communities, educators, and children.

This malicious lie also just distracts us from addressing the real issues impacting Idahoans, like underfunded schools and a lack of accessible child care options.

Sen. David Nelson

For many, pre-K serves as a form of day care for children while parents are at work. It also helps children develop a number of critical skills, like literacy, that better prepare them for success in kindergarten. Had we accepted the $6 million grant, it would have greatly benefitted young working families, as well as our economy by allowing parents to enter or stay in the workforce. 

But one lawmaker made it clear in his debate he had no interest in voting for a bill that made “it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home.” 

Voting to accept that grant was a no-brainer, and it would have been a major investment in our most precious resource: our children. That money would have actually been the second distribution from the federal Preschool Development Grants Program. We accepted the first $6 million in 2020, and saw great success in our local communities. Both of our districts have early learning collaboratives — the Kendrick-Julietta and Pocatello-Chubbuck preschools  — that directly benefited.

If given the opportunity, we’d continue to vote in favor of it, and won’t stop fighting for quality public education at every level, particularly for our youngest learners. As elected officials, we represent the people of Idaho, not the interests of extremist groups trying to destroy our state, like the IFF. No amount of bullying or intimidation will ever change that.

Senate Bill 1319, sponsored by Sen. David Nelson (D-Moscow), fixes a flaw in state code that was a barrier for some of Idaho’s bigger school districts and charter schools to apply for funds from the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which appropriated $5 billion to help purchase low or zero emission school buses. 

Nelson said Idaho schools will be able to buy practical, electric school buses and utilize the state’s inexpensive and clean electric power from renewable sources, helping save money over the life of the buses. 

“Our schools will save money in the long run and our students will be less exposed to dirty diesel emissions with these new buses,” he said.

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. 

Sen. David Nelson

The Idaho Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations recently found 20% of schools should be retired in the next 10 years, and 53% need significant maintenance or else they will soon fall in that category as well. The estimated cost to bring just the buildings in the 77 districts surveyed up to a “good” condition is at least $847 million. It will take between $1-2 billion for all school districts.

And we still don’t have enough information to really know the extent of the problem. The last statewide facility condition assessment of K-12 public school buildings was in 1993. At the time, districts had a total of almost $700 million in building repairs, additional facilities, or upgrades. When adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars, that amount is $1.3 billion.

Currently, Idaho is almost last in the U.S. for funding school maintenance. We may be underfunding maintenance and capital investment by as much as $767 million per year due to the antiquated system we use to determine how much to spend.

A 2005 Idaho Supreme Court ruling found the legislature failed to meet its constitutional obligation to sufficiently fund school buildings. That still hasn’t changed. Of all 50 states, Idaho spent the least per student on school buildings at an average of $1,080. The national average was $2,306. The legislature has a yearly responsibility to revisit the formula used to calculate replacement value and revise, if necessary, but hasn’t done so since 2008.

Schools are forced to rely heavily on supplemental levies and bonds to address district needs — mechanisms designed as fallback systems that are now responsible for keeping the lights on. Since 2006, the year school funding shifted to the sales tax, 111 of 120, or 92%, school districts willing to run a bond had an active supplemental levy in place.

Only 40% of bonds — which require two-thirds voter approval — passed in that same time as well. If the voting requirement was lowered to 60%, most would have passed.

Idaho’s negligence isn’t just damaging our schools and communities but our children’s futures, and it presents a serious public safety issue. The legislature needs to address this issue immediately, and I want to see two things happen.

We should create a state bond matching fund that aims to match half of the funding for new construction and remodeling. All of Idaho’s neighboring states, except Nevada, have grant programs that help districts with the building plans and provide capital funding for projects. If we appropriated $100 million yearly to start, we could make a real difference.

We also need to change the bond approval rate from the current two-thirds standard. No neighboring state has that supermajority threshold. We should set it at 60% and consider having a voter turnout threshold added. The Idaho Constitution would need to be amended to do this, which allows all Idahoans to weigh in. This process should start now.

We can’t continue to kick the problem down the road and shirk our constitutional obligation. It is our job to ensure public schools receive adequate and uniform support, so we can best foster the next generation. But if safe facilities don’t exist, that can’t happen. Our educators and children deserve better. It’s beyond time to invest in Idaho schools.

Sen. David Nelson

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. David Nelson (D-Moscow), would enable the Idaho Legislature to appropriate additional funding to K-12 schools. Per the bill, if a school has a supplemental levy in place, 75% of the allocated money must go to reducing the levy. But if there is no levy, the school can use the funds at their discretion. 

Nelson said the proposal not only benefits schools, but lowers property taxes for residential homeowners, as more districts have been forced to rely on levies for general maintenance. Currently, 89 of Idaho’s 115 school districts have levies in place totaling $218 million.

Nelson said if the bill passed and $300 million were appropriated, property taxes would be reduced by $141 million. The number of schools with an active levy would be cut in half as well. 

“Strong and successful communities start with our children’s schools. By providing our school districts the resources they desperately need, we can ensure facilities are safe and sustainable, teachers have access to the tools they need to succeed, and children receive an excellent education anywhere in the state. With the bill, we can also alleviate the growing property tax burden on homeowners,” Nelson said. “This is a win-win.”

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

Instead, we met several times in recent weeks to determine how to circumvent the federal government and its proposed vaccine requirements. Remember: U.S. taxpayers are spending about $3.7B monthly to treat unvaccinated Americans, a number of which are the cause of Idaho’s current health care crisis.

The committee ultimately decided to recommend a bill forbidding state and local governments from enforcing a federal requirement, penalizing those who do with a personal fine of up to $5,000, six months maximum in jail, or both. We were the only two who opposed it.

The bill might be altered slightly, but it now goes to the full legislature, potentially causing us to reconvene for a special session in the next two weeks for a vote. This only opens the door for even stricter legislation and the continued spread of misinformation, doing nothing to stop Idahoans’ from needlessly dying each day.

At multiple points in this process, we had to correct false information to ensure the legislative record was accurate. Here’s a sampling of the public testimony we heard:

Rep. Chris Mathias

“Reported COVID deaths in the United States because of taking the vaccine is 13,751, and this was reported as an underestimate.” A careful review of health and autopsy records makes clear no deaths have been linked to any of the vaccines, of which more than 390 million doses have been administered. They are incredibly safe and effective in keeping you out of the hospital.

“Don’t get the unproven vaccine, you can treat COVID with Ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, and monoclonal antibodies. This stuff works.” A sitting legislator said this. Ivermectin is an antiparasitic. A dewormer! It has dangerous side effects, with no proven effectiveness against COVID-19 — as does hydroxychloroquine. Monoclonal antibodies provide some help in keeping you from being hospitalized, but are more experimental and not FDA approved, like the fully-approved Pfizer vaccine. The vaccines are also less expensive, costing about $20 versus several thousand for monoclonal antibodies. While the government covers most of that, we are worried about the residual cost for taxpayers.

In Idaho, almost every COVID-19 patient hospitalized right now is unvaccinated, and they are 11 times more likely to die from it. Bodily autonomy is a right we can assert, but that right comes with responsibilities. Unless you have a legitimate medical reason, you should get vaccinated. The pandemic persists because many unvaccinated people are ignoring public health guidelines.

And misinformation is to blame for a lot of that — we saw that firsthand during committee meetings. People are dying and suffering because they trusted the word of a Facebook post, a chiropractor, or a far-right politician over an epidemiologist and ER doctor.

We recognize some people are strongly opposed to anything the federal government asks us to do, but continuing down this path isn’t how we end the pandemic. We have to make policy decisions based on fact, a careful review of current law, and in Idahoans’ best interests. What we shouldn’t do is give into the fearmongers, who demonize the vaccine and our health care providers, often resorting to threats of violence against those with whom they disagree.

Idahoans need real leadership, not another unproductive special session, unconstitutional bill, or eventual lawsuit costing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

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.

Sen. David Nelson, District 5

The recent Boise State University’s Idaho Policy Institute study is one of a long line of studies showing we have a problem.  The gap is now $380 million dollars per year just to maintain our existing roads. A 2011 study pegged that gap at $262 million. We at least are staying ahead of inflation, but we also need to invest in new capacity to deal with traffic issues in fast growing parts of the state.

The most recent transportation bill, H342, passed the House on March 17, and is now making its way to the Senate. This legislation, which increases the sales tax distribution to transportation from 1% to 4.5%, is better than its predecessors, and allocates 1.5% of that funding to city and county governments to fix local roads.

However, the bill doesn’t go far enough. It moves extra money out of the state General Fund, but doesn’t raise user fees, which I believe is a mistake. I want to see an even higher proportion of the funding going to local to maintain a 40% local share, and minimize the use of General Fund dollars. It is likely H342 will be amended in the Senate, and I have been working with my fellow Senators across the aisle to make changes that will improve the legislation.

Better transportation infrastructure helps all of us.  Many of us drive to work and get our kids to school each day.  In north central Idaho, where I am from, wheat, cattle, timber, and all the other important agriculture and forestry products we make, get to market mostly on trucks.

In many parts of Idaho, we been working to building a great cycling/walking system. This is important in many respects, because fundamentally, a walker or biker is not in a car, and that reduced use saves money for the state.  It also results in healthier kids who walk to school, healthier adults who walk to work, and reduces greenhouse gas generation.

And what happens if we don’t make these investments? Per year, the average Idaho motorist incurs approximately $427 in costs for repairs and maintenance due to driving on poor-quality roads.  If we don’t have the road capacity, people spend too much of their valuable time sitting in traffic, and if we have safety problems not getting fixed, people’s lives are at risk.

Earlier this year, Little proposed $126 million in one-time spending and $80 million in increased spending annually. These are a start, but I am very concerned the math doesn’t add up. We have a maintenance gap of $380 million per year, and $80 million only closes a portion of that.  The one-time spending will certainly help congestion and inject money into our economy for 2021, but it makes that maintenance gap even larger.

We need to realistically fund transportation.  One-time funding will help expand the system, but it does not adequately maintain it.  I am supportive of the governor’s proposals this year, but I wish they could be bolder, as should H342.  Let’s find a way to fairly charge all users of our roads an equitable amount to properly maintain them.

Luckily, in 2018, Idaho’s voters passed Medicaid Expansion, which was expected to bring Medicaid coverage to about 90,000 Idahoans, and as of Jan. 5, 2021, about 100,529  Idahoans had signed up for expanded coverage. The overall number of Medicaid recipients has grown, partly because of people losing their jobs during the initial economic contraction in the early days of the pandemic.

With more people needing coverage and many of them with untreated health conditions, it has meant our cost estimates were  low, unfortunately. But with a higher federal government contribution during the pandemic for traditional Medicaid, we’re actually saving state dollars in the short term. For example, the Idaho Department of Correction saved $8.3 million over the last two fiscal years because of Medicaid expansion, which picked up a portion of what had previously been fully state-funded costs. Investing in this necessary health care service also makes fiscal sense for our state, not just our citizens. We will have to deal with the growing pains after the pandemic, but frankly, I’m willing to pay a little bit more to ensure people have the insurance coverage they need so they can better contribute to the Idaho economy.

And Medicaid expansion has been a lifeline to our rural critical-access hospitals.  Even now, according to the Idaho Hospital association, 20 out of 27 are running at a net operating margin during the pandemic.  Without it we probably would have seen several of them close in the last two years.

We want everyone to be able to get tested and vaccinated, and, should they need it, get the emergency care they need if they contract the coronavirus. People shouldn’t have to fear for both their financial and physical heath. Plus, as case numbers lessen and our economy recovers more fully, the number of people seeking Medicaid expansion should naturally start to decline.

Instead of grumbling, legislators in Idaho should be glad Idahoans are receiving the care they need, and fund Medicaid like voters asked us to. Medicaid Expansion passed with 61% of the vote overall as well as the majority of the vote in almost every county. Our constituents are benefitting from this, including over 2,200 of my constituents in District 5, and are receiving health coverage through expanded Medicaid. I’m happy to see the program doing its job, and I hope we see this program flourish and be fully funded for many years to come.