A report from the Institute for Legislative Analysis, an offshoot of the American Conservative Union, has found that many Idaho state legislators vote as “philosophical Democrats.” This is extremely consistent with the findings of the Idaho Freedom Foundation over the last 10 years, which has shown similar findings year over year. Freedom Foundation’s scoring metrics […]
The Idaho Legislature passed two bills dealing with emergency powers, SB 1136 and HB 135. Both were designed to protect the rights of Idahoans during declarations of emergency, including gun rights, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to free exercise of religion. Both bills passed both chambers of the Legislature by significant majorities. […]
As we now cast our eyes to the soon-to-convene 2021 legislative session, we behold a marvelous and perhaps generational opportunity for lawmakers to boldly provide sweeping tax relief for Idaho families and small businesses. But will they? Idaho is loaded with cash. Consider that officials believe the state will end its fiscal year with a […]
Utah legislators recently learned an important lesson: People don’t like tax hikes on their milk, cheese, bacon and butter. Idaho lawmakers should learn from Utah’s experience. I fear they won’t. Allow me to recap the story. Late last year, Utah Republicans built a tax reform proposal they said would be good for the state’s economy. […]
One of the important purposes of the State Republican Winter Meeting held in Boise this month was to recognize those from throughout the state who are outstanding in their public service. Nominations are invited from all counties, and the Hall of Fame Committee, made up of state and region leadership, considers those nominations for excellence […]
Idahoans are crying for help, and it’s imperative that all government officials — from lawmakers in the Statehouse to the mosquito abatement district administrator — look for solutions to ease property tax burdens. According to state data, local governments took roughly $1.91 billion from Idahoans through property taxes in 2018, a 6.4% hike over 2017. […]
The idea of “separation of powers” is expressly mentioned in Article II, section 1, of the Idaho Constitution. It states that “persons in one branch shall not exercise any authority belonging to another.” The idea is that the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) are to be kept separate to provide a system of checks […]
The Post Register’s Editorial Board recently invited people to “defend their” right to propose and vote on legislation through Idaho’s initiative process. The Board expressed concern the legislature will usurp the initiative process by placing conditions on the initiative process in “violation” of the people’s right to propose and vote on legislation. Unfortunately, the Board […]
I’m taking up a collection. We need to send Idaho lawmakers to school. I’m not talking about college, but rather Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, which teaches wise fiscal management. I suggest this because few in the Capitol understand money management, and their skill deficit harms all of us. If we can send lawmakers through […]