Idaho State Capitol – On Monday, the 2020 legislative session started at the Idaho State Capitol. On the first day of the session, Governor Little gave his State of the State speech where he discussed the goals of the upcoming legislative session. He discussed his goals for the upcoming 2020 legislative session including education priorities such as full day kindergarten and increased teacher pay, investments in public safety, reducing recidivism in our prisons, and Medicaid Expansion funding at both the state and county levels.
House and Senate Minority Leaders Representative Ilana Rubel/(D-Boise) and Senator Michelle Stennett/(D-Ketchum) gave the Democratic response shortly after the Governor’s speech. The two representatives from District 26 shared the legislative goals of their Democratic legislative colleagues.
“Voters in District 26 were outraged when the legislature tried to add unnecessary, expensive restrictions to Medicaid Expansion without their consent.” Representative Muffy Davis/(D-Hailey) said. “Although many of the restrictions have been rejected by the federal government, several legislators have asserted over the interim that they are going to continue to propose more barriers to Medicaid Expansion. One of my priorities going into the 2020 legislative session is to fight the frivolous waste of taxpayer dollars with the sole purpose of denying Idahoans access to quality healthcare.”
“During the interim, legislators identified funding sources for Medicaid Expansion that would not increase taxes or bankrupt cities and counties.” Rep. Davis went on to say. “I would like to see the legislature take responsibility for funding Medicaid Expansion with the money that already exists at the state instead of asking cities and counties to cut their budgets.”
“I was ecstatic to see that the Governor’s Education Task Force made meaningful recommendations that would substantially improve Idaho’s education system, if passed.” Representative Sally Toone/(D-Gooding) explained. “The Governor has made it clear that he wants to see our students succeed in their education. Idaho Democrats have been working for years to set up an education system that works for students, teachers, and the rest of the state. We are happy to have our Republican colleagues join us in the fight to make Idaho’s educational system the best in the nation. There’s a lot of work to do to improve our education system, especially in our rural schools, but we have rolled up our sleeves and we are ready to dig in during the 2020 legislative session.”