2025 Legislative Session News
“Be a statesman, not a politician” – by Rep. Steve Berch
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...
House Committee Kills Bill to Support Workers with Post-Traumatic Stress Injury
On Wednesday, the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee refused to introduce legislation to allow employees suffering with work-related post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) to seek workers’ compensation. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Sally Toone...
House GOP Passes Bill to Remove Renter Protections
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...
Bill to Reduce Supplemental Levies, Property Taxes Introduced in Senate Education
A bill to reduce supplemental levies for school districts was introduced in the Senate Education Committee Thursday. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. David Nelson (D-Moscow), would enable the Idaho Legislature to appropriate additional funding to K-12 schools. Per...
Bill to Remove Racially Restrictive Covenants from Home Deeds Sails Out of Committee
The Senate Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee approved legislation Wednesday to remove racially restrictive language from property covenants and deeds in a unanimous vote. Senate Bill 1240, sponsored by Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise), now heads to the full...
Lopsided Income Tax Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk
Senate Republicans forwarded House Bill 436 to the governor’s office in a party-line vote. All Democrats voted against the legislation, advocating instead for more critical tax solutions, such as reducing property taxes or repealing the sales tax on groceries, and...
Democrats Present the 2022 Idaho Working Families Agenda
Bill to Ban Conversion Therapy for Minors Introduced in House Health and Welfare
Legislation to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth under 18 years old was introduced Thursday in the House Health and Welfare Committee. House Bill 483, sponsored by Rep. John McCrostie, received almost unanimous support for a full hearing. It mirrors recent...
Behavioral Health Council Honored for Mental Health Advocacy by NAMI Idaho
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,...
“GOP Tax Policies Leave Working Families Behind” – by Reps. Lauren Necochea and James Ruchti
We came into this session with high hopes for what we could accomplish for Idahoans. Our strong revenues meant we could finally deliver broadly shared priorities that have been on the back burner for too long: reducing property taxes, repealing the sales tax on...
GOP Railroad “Reverse Robin Hood” Tax Cut through House
The GOP railroaded a lopsided tax proposal through the House that overwhelmingly benefits profitable corporations and people with the highest incomes. House Bill 436 passed and now moves to the Senate. All Democrats voted against the legislation, and instead advocated...
House GOP Fast Track Corporate Tax Cut Out of Committee
The GOP fast tracked a lopsided tax proposal out of committee Tuesday that overwhelmingly benefits profitable corporations and people with the highest incomes. The House Revenue and Taxation Committee forwarded House Bill 436 to the full body in a party-line vote...
GOP Adopt Lowball Revenue Estimate to Engineer Future “Surpluses”
The Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee met Thursday to adopt a revenue assessment. The committee’s recommendation was then accepted Friday by the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) for budgeting purposes. The Republican legislators on EORAC...
“Idaho Infrastructure: Invest Now” – by Sen. Michelle Stennett
In the upcoming session, it’s imperative we address the vast infrastructure needs facing our state, which continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. Idaho’s nearly $2 billion budget surplus and $1 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (and more from the...
House GOP Rush to Introduce Lopsided Tax Cut
Idaho House Republicans introduced a sweeping tax bill on the third day of the 2022 session, carrying with it a huge price tag. The proposed one-time tax rebate increases with income level, so the higher one’s income is, the more money they will receive. The ongoing...
Little Appoints Bellevue Mayor to Open District 26 House Seat
Gov. Brad Little appointed Bellevue Mayor Ned Burns to the open District 26 House seat Thursday following the resignation of former Rep. Muffy Davis, who was recently selected to serve on the Blaine County Board of Commissioners. Burns, who will complete Davis’s...
“Leadership’s secret ingredient” – by Rep. Steve Berch
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...
“An Open Letter to Scott Yenor: We Aren’t Going Anywhere” – by Sen. Melissa Wintrow
Dear Mr. Yenor, Words matter… Your recent divisive words mattered, but in a way you may not have expected — they actually united the very group of “medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome” women you hoped to segregate and diminish. People across Idaho are raising their...