Legislative Watch Report - 2023-03-22
The budget requests keep piling up, and some spending is actually going down!
Recommendations
House
Support H0308, a defense of the rights of medical practitioners to exercise freedom of conscience.
Oppose H0315 and H0321, which would allow for a state-level takeover of a community college.
Support H0316, which allows for counties to exercise soft secession from Public Health Districts.
Oppose H0317, which attempts to solve a real problem (the war on cash) by imposing on private rights of contract.
Oppose H0327, which grants a pay increase of over 30% to the 4 employees of the Office of Administrative Hearings.
Oppose H0337, which expands occupational licensing programs for electricians.
Oppose H0338, which imposes a requirement to enforce federal immigration laws on local governments.
Senate
Support S1173, which protects the ability of gun owners to declare the fact that they are armed as a way to de-escalate situations.
Oppose S1185, which extends the primary election season, giving advantages to well-funded candidates and incumbents.
Oppose S1187, which would create a burdensome bureaucracy while failing to solve the problem of minors being intentionally exposed to sexual materials.
Important Bill Status Updates
House
H0022 returned to the House after being amended and passed in the Senate. It passed the House by 43 votes, and was signed into law.
H0139 was reintroduced in the House as H0314.
H0154 was reintroduced in the House as H0307.
H0224 passed the House without objection and went to the Senate.
H0262 passed the House without objection, and received a Do Pass recommendation from the Senate Judiciary & Rules committee.
H0284 passed the House without objection and received a Do Pass recommendation from the Senate Transportation committee.
H0287 passed the House by 49 votes and goes to the Senate this week.
H0293 failed in the House by 1 vote.
S1005 passed the House by 62 votes, and was signed into law.
S1015 received a Do Pass recommendation from the Education committee.
S1019 passed the House by 39 votes, and was signed into law.
S1036 passed the House by 58 votes, and goes to the Governor this week.
S1042 passed the House by 67 votes, and goes to the Governor this week.
S1043 passed the House by 63 votes, and goes to the Governor this week.
S1109 passed the House without objection, and goes to the Governor this week.
Appropriations bills S1116, S1131 through S1140, and S1159 passed the House, and are either law or will be signed this week.
S1120 received a Do Pass recommendation from the State Affairs committee.
S1125 received a Do Pass recommendation from the Education committee.
S1129 passed the House by 28 votes, and was signed into law.
Senate
H0059 passed the Senate by 20 votes, and was signed into law.
H0092 passed the Senate without objection, and was signed into law.
H0097 passed the Senate without objection and was signed into law.
H0106 passed the Senate by 21 votes, and was signed into law.
H0113 received a Do Pass recommendation from the Education committee.
H0163 passed the Senate without objection, and goes to the Governor this week.
H0170 was amended in the Senate, and is scheduled to be amended once more.
H0172 passed the Senate by 28 votes, and was signed into law.
H0198 received a Do Pass recommendation from the Local Government & Taxation committee.
Appropriations bills H0207 through H0211, H0249 through H0254, H0260, and H0261 were signed into law.
H0222 passed the Senate by 19 votes, and was signed into law.
H0281 is filed for amendment in the Senate.
H0292 received a Do Pass recommendation from the Local Government & Taxation committee.
S1045, S1080, and S1119 were reintroduced in the House as H0326.
S1073 passed the Senate by 28 votes, and goes to the House this week.
S1122 was amended in the Senate.
S1154 passed the Senate without objection.
Joint Actions
HJM005 - Grizzly Bear Delisting
The Resolution
HJM005 calls for the US Congress to remove grizzly bears from the list of protected species under the Endangered Species Act.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Grizzly bears are big, mean, dangerous, and common enough to impact life for rural residents. We agree with the legislature, not just because it calls for the removal of a regulation, but because individuals living in rural areas need to be free to protect themselves from dangerous predators.
House Bills
H0298 - Crimes, Trafficking, Prostitution
The Bill
H0298 creates a particular crime to charge pimps, removes the minimum sentence for sex trafficking, and requires the Attorney General and the Department of Health and Welfare to create a report regarding how current Idaho law fails to protect the victims of human trafficking.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Libertarian philosophy holds that individuals may choose to sell access to their body for any purpose, which puts us at odds with any laws making prostitution illegal. In an environment where prostitution is banned, people desperate enough to resort to selling their bodies are driven into the arms of pimps who promise them the protection which they often won’t get from the police. The best solution to this problem is to remove the bans, and thereby remove the source of that fear.
Since it is unlikely that Idaho will remove its ban on prostitution, this bill helps to round out a less optimal approximation of justice. It forces pimps to put themselves at the same risk of prosecution as their prostitutes. It is difficult to predict whether this will have the desired outcome, so we cannot support it, but neither do we oppose it.
We appreciate the removal of a minimum sentence, improving the ability of judges to set reasonable sentences.
H0299 - Approp, Secretary of State, Orig
The Bill
H0299 spends $14.7M to fund the office of the Secretary of State, including $3.3M to fund 35.5 full-time jobs.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This represents an expansion in 6.5 full-time positions at the cost of $750k, as well as an increase of $9.5M in predicted operating expenditures. We oppose this massive expansion of the office’s budget.
H0300 - Approp, Voc Rehab, Orig
The Bill
H0300 spends $26M, including $19M of federal money, to fund the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and $554k to fund the Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This spending is in line with 2022 spending, with 5 positions eliminated from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. We continue to oppose the existence of these divisions.
H0301 - Approp, Legislative Branch, Orig
The Bill
H0301 funds the offices of the Legislature with a total of $11.5M.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is a reduction of $2.7M from 2022, mostly driven by the removal of ARPA State Fiscal Recovery spending. We continue to dislike the existence of the government, and object to paying its salaries.
H0302 - Approp, Capitol Com, Orig
The Bill
H0302 funds the State Capitol Commission for $2.3M.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is the exact same amount as was funded for the previous fiscal year. It is good to see this budget not increasing, likely because maintenance contracts are locked in for longer periods.
H0303 - Approp, Attorney Gen, Orig
The Bill
H0303 funds the office of the Attorney General with $34.3M for 231 full-time positions.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is an increase of $3.7M and 5 positions over 2022. The expansion is in excess of CPI inflation. As with the legislature, we continue to oppose funding the government.
H0304 - Approp, Fish & Game, Orig
The Bill
H0304 funds the Department of Fish and Game with $150M for 547 full-time positions, including approximately $64M of federal funds.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is an increase of $17M in spending over last year, including an increase of $6M in federal funds. The size of the department is decreased by 6 positions.
It is discouraging to see one of the more justifiable and functional government departments increasing its budget while shrinking. Part of that increase comes with the purchase of land in Kootenai County to maintain a skeet and trap shooting range, which we hope does well enough that it could be a private business.
H0305 - Approp, Administration, Orig
The Bill
H0305 funds 126 full-time positions at the Department of Administration with $29.1M, and moves $21M from the ARPA recovery fund to the Employee Group Insurance Fund, ostensibly to pay for Covid-19 medical costs.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
The primary budget is increased by $3.4M for this department, for 2 less full-time positions. The Insurance fund cash transfer is $4M less than the previous year, making this an overall reduction in spending.
H0306 - Approp, Public Defense Com, Orig
The Bill
H0306 details the FY 2024 budget for the Public Defense Commission
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this bill. The amount requested is 3.3% higher than last year’s budget. This is less than the rate of inflation.
H0307 - MRNA Vaccine, Misdemeanor
The Bill
H0307 is a reintroduction of H0154 with a minor change. It does not apply to all mammals like the prior bill, just humans.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed: we oppose this bill.
H0308 - Medical Ethics, Object to Care
The Bill
H0308 declares that it is public policy of the state of Idaho to protect the right of conscience for medical practitioners, health care institutions, and health care payers. AS the right of conscience is fundamental, no medical practitioner, health care institution or health care payer should be compelled to participate in or pay for any medical procedure or prescribe to pay for any medication to which such practitioner, institution, or payer objects on the basis of conscience, whether such conscience is informed by religious, moral, or ethical beliefs and principles. There are also protections stating that no one shall be civilly, criminally, or administratively liable for exercising their right of conscience.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We wholeheartedly support this bill. Respecting people’s conscience when it comes to their work should keep more people employed in healthcare.
H0309 - Schools, Polling Locations
The Bill
H0309 is a reintroduction of H0111 with a minor change adding parent-teacher conferences to the definition of “activities”. The spirit of the bill remains the same.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed: we support this bill.
H0310 - Hwy District, Carpool, Rideshare
The Bill
H0310 allows county-wide highway districts to operate carpooling, rideshare, and park-and-ride facilities.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We prefer for these types of services to be run by private, profit-seeking entities. We oppose the expansion of government into the space.
H0311 - Community Colleges, Funding
The Bill
H0311 would allow community colleges to use state funds to operate higher division classes for bachelor’s degrees.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. We don’t agree with the state using taxpayer money to prop up higher ed.
H0312 - Parents, Children, Sex Crimes
Background
Idaho courts have the authority to terminate the legal relationship between a parent and their child under several circumstances, such as abandonment, neglect, or abuse. Most relevant to this bill: the court has the option to terminate the relationship if the child was conceived as a result of rape or incest. All of these are within the discretion of the judge.
The Bill
H0312 removes the judge’s discretion in the case where clear and convincing evidence establishes that the child was conceived as a result of rape or incest. It keeps the rapist liable for child support in such a case.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
For the cases of statutory rape and incest, this bill is excellent and we support it.
There is a risk it could be used as a weapon in family courts for a jilted ex-lover, paired with an accusation of rape between adults. The bill attempts to balance that risk against the risk that a parent who was raped would be forced to share custody of the child with their rapist, if there is not enough evidence to sustain a criminal conviction. The “clear and convincing” standard seems to be a reasonable point to find that balance; time will tell whether one or the other terrible situation becomes unacceptably common in Idaho.
H0313 - Feminine Hygiene Products, School
Background
According to a study conducted in 2021 by THINX & PERIOD, 23% of school-aged girls have struggled to afford period products. States have been introducing legislation requiring free products to students. So far five states are required to offer free period products in public schools.
The Bill
H0313 would require all public schools in Idaho to provide feminine hygiene products free of charge to all female students in 6th through 12th grade.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. We are truly saddened for these girls that are being affected by poverty, but government intervention is not the solution. This is a need that is best met by charities and donations.
H0314 - School and Library Protection Act
The Bill
H0314 reintroduces H0139, reducing the statutory penalty per-instance to from $10k to $2.5k, and allowing for compensatory damages and injunctive relief. It also ensures that the law applies both to government and privately-run schools.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is a substantial improvement to a bill which we already supported.
H0315 - Community College Closure, Property
The Bill
H0315 states that if a community college ceases to operate or has its accreditation revoked, then control of its real property and other assets shall be assumed by the State Board of Examiners, which shall hold such property and assets in trust for the community college to resume operation or for a successor public instruction to begin operation. The bill is similar to H0226 that suggests that the State Board of Education should control the property and assets.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Just like H0226, we oppose this bill. Each community college has their own set of bylaws to address these types of situations.
H0316 - Counties Opt Out, Health District
The Bill
H0316 allows for counties, by a majority vote of the board of commissioners, to withdraw from the Public Health District in which state law has placed them. It would remove any financial obligations in both directions, and transfer the duty to perform health-related inspections from the Public Health District to the county.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We fully support this bill to enable decentralization.
H0317 - Cash Payment
The Bill
H0317 would require any person who engages in business as a seller of goods or services via in-person retail transaction in Idaho to accept cash as a method of payment along with any other methods of payment the seller may accept. There is an exception for single transactions exceeding $10,000.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We need to oppose this bill. We don’t want to be giving the government permission to make these types of demands on private businesses. With that being said, we do want to strongly encourage businesses to accept cash as a form of payment.
We need to preserve payment choice, because physical currency adds some protection against government intuition. Governments often use digital payment records for surveillance. We have already seen evidence of how the relationship between governments and credit card processors has been used against people this legislative session with H0295, an attempt to protect 2nd Amendment activity from being shared with the government.
H0318 - Standards of Time
The Bill
H0318 would remove daylight savings time for the portion of the state on mountain standard time and retain it for the portion of the state on pacific standard time.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This bill does not affect liberty. However, the South Idaho residents on this committee are fully in support of removing this social engineering from their sleep schedules.
H0319 - Approp, Parks & Rec, Orig
The Bill
H0319 funds the Department of Parks and Recreation with $69M for 183.8 full-time positions, including $6.3M in federal funds.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is a reduction of $7M from 2022, which only had 170.97 full-time positions allocated. The difference mainly comes from a $2.3M reduction in federal funding and a $15M reduction in capital development spending, with increases in other line items closing the gap.
H0320 - Community Colleges, Levy
The Bill
H0320 states that no levy may be made pursuant to this section for a community college if the college’s accreditation has been revoked and has not been restored within two years of such revocation.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This bill is reasonable. A school that is not accredited is essentially pointless and we shouldn’t expect taxpayers to support such a school.
H0321 - Community College, Authority
The Bill
H0321 would allow the Idaho Board of Education to take over management of a community college upon petition from that community college’s district, if the college is at risk of losing its accreditation.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Community college boards of trustees are locally elected positions. The appropriate remedy if the community feels that the board of trustees needs to be replaced is a recall election. We oppose this bill because it allows for the centralization of power.
H0322 - Approp, PUC, Orig
The Bill
H0322 details the FY 2024 budget for the Public Utilities Commission.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this bill. The requested amount is 2.5% higher than the previous year. This is less than the rate of inflation.
H0323 - Approp, H&W Medicaid, Add’l
The Bill
H0323 increases the Medicaid budget for 2023-2024 by $410M, including $100k to satisfy a lawsuit settlement requirement. Most of the spending is federal money related to “The Public Health Emergency.”
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
The Idaho government should stop taking and spending federal money, because it always comes with strings attached.
H0324 - Approp, Financial Mgmt, Orig
The Bill
H0324 funds the Division of Financial Management for a total of $57.8M to maintain 22 full-time positions. Approximately $40M of the funding is for benefit payments out of the ARPA Homeowner Assistance Fund and the ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Fund, including special funding for the State Small Business Credit Initiative and the Homeowner Assistance program.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Last year, this appropriation also included an increase in the amount of money given to the Emergency Rental Assistance program under the governor’s authority. Overall, the spending is reduced by $11.5M from 2022.
It is overall good to see money being sent back to homeowners, but we would prefer for that money never to have been stolen in the first place, so that individuals could manage their own financial risk.
H0325 - Approp, Agriculture, Orig
The Bill
H0325 details the FY 2024 budget for the Department of Agriculture.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this bill. The amount requested is 2.1% higher than the previous year's budget. This amount is well below the rate of inflation.
H0326 - Legislature, Legal Action
The Bill
H0326 reintroduces S1045, S1080, and S1119, adding a proviso that Idaho does not need to be a named party to intervene, nor is any evidence required that the intervenor be disinterested in the primary issues of the case.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We continue to have no issue with this bill.
H0327 - Approp, Admin Hearing, Orig
The Bill
H0327 funds 4 positions in the Office of Administrative Hearings with $817k.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is an increase of $211k over 2022, driven mostly by a 30% increase in pay. We object to such substantial pay increases that go well past inflation.
H0328 - Urban Renewal, Data Centers
The Bill
H0328 is a reintroduction of H0159, aiming to prevent large data centers from getting property taxes they pay from being redirected back into their own infrastructure.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We continue to support this bill, which helps reduce the advantages that large corporations are given in the tax code.
H0329 - Affordable Housing Tax Exemption
Background
Rental properties which are intended for low-income renters have special tax breaks in exchange for particular conditions related to monthly payments, evictions, and construction financing.
The Bill
H0329 allows for nonprofits running Affordable Housing programs to contract with for-profit entities and receive federal funding. It forbids county assessors from including Affordable Housing properties on the county’s “new construction roll,” which lists increases in property values as a result of newly built improvements.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Idaho certainly needs more housing to accommodate the coastal political refugees flooding urban areas. However, the appropriate solution is tax elimination and the removal of zoning laws. We oppose this continuation of the regulatory situation which exacerbates housing problems.
H0330 - Cigar Tax Cap
The Bill
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed. We support this bill.
H0331 - Tobacco Products Taxes, Vaping
The Bill
H0331 is a reintroduction of H0199 with the added change that taxes collected beyond $12 million will be distributed to the tax relief fund. This bill is estimated to bring in $10 to $15 million in tax revenue annually.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed: we oppose this bill.
H0332 - Rate-Regulated Utility Taxes
Background
Some forms of electric power delivery are regulated with regard to the rates which can be charged per kWh.
The Bill
H0332 moves the tax burden for property related to rate-regulated electric utilities from the property taxes to the revenues of the utility company. It is expected to be long-term revenue-neutral, but would cost $9M for the establishment of the program managing the taxation.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This shift is ultimately a waste of time and money, since the costs of taxation are always ultimately borne by the customer. We oppose it.
H0333 - Approp, H&W Other Programs, Orig
The Bill
H0333 funds miscellaneous programs under the Department of Health and Welfare with a total of $79.8M. The programs in question are the Developmental Disabilities Council, the Domestic Violence Council, Indirect Support Services, and Licensing and Certification. $49M of the funding comes from the Federal government.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
A spending cut of $7M is largely driven by a reduction in federal funding from 2022 levels. There are also 25 positions eliminated from the Indirect Support Services division. We are glad to see something in the government shrinking.
H0334 - Approp, H&W Medicaid, Orig
The Bill
H0334 allocates $4.7B to fund Idaho’s Medicaid programs, including 213 full-time positions. $4.6B of the money is dedicated to benefits, and $3.1B of the funds come from federal sources.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We continue to oppose Medicaid entirely. Medical care for needy people is better delivered through voluntary charity, which prevents fraud more effectively.
H0335 - Approp, Pardons & Parole, Orig
The Bill
H0335 details the FY 2024 budget for the Commission of Pardons and Parole.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this bill. The requested amount is up 6.7% percent from last year. This is in line with the rate of inflation.
H0336 - Approp, Edu Bd, Ag Research, Orig
The Bill
H0336 funds the Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Idaho with $37.2M.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
An increase of $1.5M over the previous year’s budget is in line with inflation, but we continue to oppose government money being spent on universities.
H0337 - Electricians, Licensure
The Bill
H0337 creates the Occupational Licensure category of the Residential Electrician, places limits on the time for which a person can be considered an apprentice electrician, and sets requirements and penalties for the licensure program.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this expansion of occupational licensure. It is up to the customer to search for electricians who will do a good job.
H0338 - Immigration, Political Subdivisions
The Bill
H0338 gives precedence to the federal government by prohibiting any local governments from enacting any ordinances or policies that would limit or prohibit law enforcement from complying with federal immigration law.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. We want to see decentralization of power, and this bill does the opposite.
H0339 - Advisory Ballot, Funding, Schools
The Bill
H0339 would allow Idaho voters to be asked, “Should the State of Idaho, the Idaho Legislature, or any state agency direct or appropriate public tax dollars to private K-12 schools, including private religious schools, and for-profit schools? This would be asked during the November 2024 general election.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We support this bill. This could be a positive step for having school choice in Idaho.
Senate Bills
S1164 - Approp, Labor, Orig
The Bill
S1164 spends $107.6M, including $85.1M in Federal money, to fund the Idaho Department of Labor.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Five positions are eliminated compared to 2022, and the budget is increased by $6.8M, roughly in line with inflation. We would hope to see the Federally-funded elements of this department eliminated.
S1165 - Approp, OITS, Orig
The Bill
S1165 details the FY 2024 budget for the Office of Information Technology Services.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
An increase of 49.4% from the previous year and 33 new positions seems excessive for one year. We are not comfortable with this level of growth and oppose this bill.
S1166 - Approp, Wolf Depred Control, Orig
The Bill
S1166 details the FY 2024 budget for Wolf Depredation Control Board.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this bill. They are not asking for an increase from the previous year and funds come from the livestock industry and sportsmen. There is no reliance on the federal government.
S1167 - Idaho Launch Grant Program
Background
H0024 passed the House 36-34-0 and has been passed on to the Senate.
The Bill
S1167 sets some limitations to H0024. It adds more oversight, requiring that reports be provided to the legislature showing various program data points. It limits where the grant money could be used to only trade schools and community colleges. It also places limits on how the money can be spent. It can only be used to cover up to 80 percent of tuition costs or $8000, whichever is less.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Even with the additional changes we still oppose the use of taxpayer money for this program.
S1168 - Approp, Judicial Branch, Orig
The Bill
S1168 details the FY 2024 budget for the Judicial Branch.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
They are requesting an increase of 16.2% from last year’s budget. This is more than double the rate of inflation. We oppose this additional spending.
S1169 - Approp, Arts Com, Orig
The Bill
S1169 details the FY 2024 budget for the Commission on the Arts.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. We appreciate art, but do not believe that it is the government’s role to provide grants for artist’s projects and professional development. The arts should be funded by market demand and donations for preserving historic art practices.
S1170 - Approp, Historical Society, Orig
The Bill
S1170 details the FY 2024 budget for the Idaho State Historical Society.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. The requested amount is up 18.3% from last year.
S1171 - Approp, H&W Fam Comm Srvs, Orig
The Bill
S1171 details the FY 2024 budget for the Department of Health and Welfare for the Divisions of Child Welfare, Services for the Developmentally Disabled, and Service Integration.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this budget request. It is an 8.3% increase from the previous year, which is reasonable with the rate of inflation. Over half of the budget is being funded by the federal government. We would like to see a reduction in this dependence.
S1172 - Approp, SAPD, Prig
The Bill
S1172 details the FY 2024 budget for the State Appellate Public Defender. It also includes a one-time FY 2023 supplemental of $67,500 for electronic records storage.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We would prefer that they keep the budget requests separate from their supplemental requests, but have no reason to oppose this bill.
S1173 - Resistance to Threatened Party
The Bill
S1173 protects the right of people to declare or show that they have a firearm in situations where they need to defend themselves against unlawful use or attempted use of physical force.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We support this bill. Declaring or showing that you have a firearm when physical force is immediately necessary to protect yourself or others is a legitimate de-escalation technique. Under current law, if someone announces that they have a firearm or shows the firearm, they could be charged with brandishing a weapon.
S1174 - Approp, Lands, Orig
The Bill
S1174 details the FY 2024 budget for the Department of Lands.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this bill. They are requesting a 6.0% increase from the previous year’s budget, which is in line with the rate of inflation.
S1175 - Approp, H&W Welfare Division, Orig
The Bill
S1175 details the FY 2024 budget for the Division of Welfare in the Department of Health and Welfare.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
The requested amount is down 38.8% from the year prior. We approve of this reduction in spending.
S1176 - Approp, Edu, Bd, College Univ, Orig
The Bill
S1176 allocates $678,550,500 to be given to Boise State University, Idaho State University, Lewis-Clark State College, and University of Idaho in FY 2024.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. We cannot justify giving these businesses taxpayer money.
S1177 - Approp, Edu Bd, Special Prgms
The Bill
S1177 details the FY 2024 budget for the Division of Special Programs under the Department of the State Board of Education.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose this bill. The amount requested is a 5.2% increase from the previous year’s budget, which is in line with the rate of inflation.
S1178 - Approp, Hispanic Affairs Com, Orig
The Bill
S1178 details the FY 2024 budget for the Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. We should not be spending taxpayer money on a Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
S1179 - Approp, Work Dev Council, Orig
The Bill
S1179 details the FY 2024 budget for the Workforce Development Council.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We oppose this bill. The budget is almost entirely made up of federal funding. We need to reduce our state’s reliance on the federal government.
S1180 - Approp, Controller, Orig
The Bill
S1180 details the FY2024 budget for the State Controller.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no reason to oppose the bill. The requested amount is up 2.5% from last year’s budget.
S1181 - Approp, Water Resources, Orig
The Bill
S1181 funds the Department of Water Resources with $81.5M for 170 full-time positions.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
A drop of $50M over the previous year is entirely thanks to a drop in Federal funding. We like to see that reduction, and hope it continues to the point where Federal funds are irrelevant, and we can concentrate on merely eliminating state-level departments.
S1182 - Approp, H&W Public Hlth Srvs, Orig
The Bill
S1182 funds the Division of Public Health Services with $178M for 259 full-time positions.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This decrease of $40M from the 2022 budget is entirely driven by a reduction in Federal spending. “Public Health” continues to be a totalitarian concept, and we hope to see the elimination of this division.
S1183 - Approp, DEQ, Orig
The Bill
S1183 appropriates $165.9M for the Department of Environmental Quality to maintain 379 full-time positions, along with the various local projects for environmental protection. Most of the funding, $121.1M, comes from the Federal government.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This increase of $21.2M is funded mostly from Federal funding increases. Regardless, while we support efforts by individuals to maintain and preserve the natural environment around them, we oppose the government’s (mis)handling of that effort.
S1184 - Approp, Tax Com, Orig
The Bill
S1184 funds the Tax Commission with $54.5M for 440 full-time positions.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This is an increase of $5M over 2022’s budget to fund 6 fewer professional thieves. Of all the government departments, we want to see this lynchpin of the state abolished the most.
S1185 - Candidate Filing Date
Background
Candidates for political office are currently required to file in a 2-week period which usually falls in early March.
The Bill
S1185 removes the start date to allow candidate filing, and moves the deadline from early March to the final Friday in January.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This bill looks innocuous, but it would actually be something of a blow to less well-funded candidates and political parties. It would create a 4-month period for primary campaigns, instead of the current 2-month period. This forces candidates to have more funding in order to properly compete in the propaganda space for the period of the election. We oppose this boon to big money politics.
S1186 - Presidential Primary Elections
Background
H0138 removed the separate election date for Idaho to have presidential primaries for parties which registered for that election.
The Bill
S1186 follows H0138, cleaning up various statutes and references to make sure the election laws are consistent in treating presidential primaries as part of the normal primary cycle.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We have no principled issue with this bill, and look forward to the minor spending savings for Idaho’s mostly-irrelevant presidential primaries.
The Libertarian Party does not assign delegates by popular poll; delegates sent to the National Convention are on their own conscience to select the candidate. This bill therefore has no real effect on the operation of the LP.
S1187 - Minors, Harmful Material Policies
The Bill
S1187 requires all schools, colleges, universities, museums, and public libraries to develop a set of policies to prevent the distribution of pornographic materials to minors. They are also required to establish citizen review committees of at least 5 members to oversee the policies and their enforcement, and to train employees annually on the policies.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This bill attempts to address a real problem in the way that corporate bureaucrats love: establishing review committees and policies which do nothing to solve the problem at hand. It places an additional regulatory burden on all schools, not only those receiving taxpayer funds. It also would create a loophole for people who intentionally distribute material to minors, if they manage to be technically within their institution’s policies. We oppose the application of bureaucracy to cultural problems.
S1188 - Minors, Enjoining Harmful Material
Background
It is a misdemeanor in Idaho to distribute or plan to distribute “material harmful to minors” to people under the age of majority. County Prosecutors have the authority to file an injunction with the district courts to prevent the distribution of materials which the Prosecutor believes are harmful to minors, if the distributor is a person, firm, or corporation.
The Bill
S1188 extends the jurisdiction of the injunction power to any person, firm, government entity, or anyone receiving tax rebates, incentives, or exemptions in the past 5 years.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This bill is an obvious response to government schools and schoolteachers bragging online about distributing materials promoting non-heterosexual lifestyles to their students. Given that this behavior is already a misdemeanor, and the laws in question require a rapid process (under a week) to adjudicate the material in the judgment of the court, we take no exception.
Amended Bills
H0047a - Invasion of Personal Privacy
The Bill
H0047 provides juveniles and victims of violence or abuse some privacy. There will not be public disclosure of information used to identify, locate, or harass a juvenile, a victim of an alleged crime of mass violence or domestic violence, or a victim of physical or sexual abuse.
The Amendment
The amendment changes the term “general public curiosity” to “general public information”.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed: we support juveniles and victims having their privacy.
H0142a - Scrap Dealers, Catalytic Converters
The Bill
H0142 adds catalytic converters to the Idaho Scrap Dealers Act, making it so scrap dealers can no longer take catalytic converters. The intent is to stop the rising rate of theft of catalytic converters.
The Amendment
The amendment removes a provision of the bill which superseded any local regulations regarding scrap metal.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We appreciate the removal of this particularly centralizing portion of the bill, but we still oppose the overall bill.
H0170a - State Agencies, Donations, Sponsor
The Bill
H0170 would prevent the 20 state departments from using taxpayer money to sponsor events without getting the governor’s permission to do so.
The Amendment
The amendment removes the penalty for violating the statute, and allows for a designee within the governor’s office to give permission for the sponsorship.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We are saddened to see this bill lose its teeth. However, we still support it, and hope to see the punishment re-added in the future.
H0182a - Silent Prayer
The Bill
H0182 creates a civil cause of action for a government school employee to bring against their employer if they are forbidden from engaging in public silent prayer.
The Amendment
The amendment makes small technical corrections to the text, and removes references to silence, meaning spoken prayer is also protected.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We continue to support this bill, and like the expansion of its protections of individual rights.
H0202a - Display of National Motto
The Bill
H0202 requires that public schools must display a durable poster or framed copy of a representation of the national motto, “In God We Trust”. All of the posters and framed copies will be paid for by donation.
The Amendment
The amendment specifies that the size of the poster or framed copy is approved by the educational institution.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed: we oppose this bill.
H0212a - Daycare Licenses
The Bill
H0212 clarifies that daycares, day-camps, and after-school programs for children of over four years of age or in kindergarten do not require basic daycare licenses.
The Amendment
The amendment changes the bill to state that the day-camps and after-school programs referred to are only the ones operating for 12 weeks or less per calendar year.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
We don’t appreciate the change; it drastically alters the spirit of the bill. We have no reason to oppose it, but are no longer enthusiastic about it.
H0259a - Absentee Ballots, Distribution
The Bill
H0259 clarifies who is allowed to distribute absentee ballots. No person other than a county clerk, election official, officer, or employee of the state authorized by law may distribute an absentee ballot application form to any other person. Nongovernmental entities shall not distribute absentee ballot applications unless otherwise authorized under state or federal law.
The Amendment
The amendment removes the restriction against unauthorized entities distributing absentee ballot applications.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This bill is made weaker by the amendment, but still deserves our support. It would still prevent ballot harvesting efforts to a great degree.
S1099a - Pupil and Parental Rights Act
The Bill
S1099 forbids schools from surveying students on non-curricular topics, and requires any curricular surveys to be made available for parents to examine.
The Amendment
The amendment clarifies that nothing in the bill would forbid the investigation of allegations of child abuse.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This clarification helps to address one criticism of the bill, and one motte in which ESG survey proponents like to hide for their deceptive Motte-and-Bailey debate strategy. We continue to approve of the bill.
S1121a - PERSI, Police Officer Member Status
The Bill
S1121 would add juvenile detention supervisors, juvenile probation supervisors, adult misdemeanor supervisors, emergency communications supervisors, and Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections rehabilitation technicians, rehabilitation supervisors, and rehabilitation specialists to the Rule of 80 retirement plan. It will have no impact on the state’s General Fund.
The Amendment
The amendment makes a minor verbiage change from “officers” to “and supervisory emergency communications officers”.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed: how the state wants to manage their retirement plans does not affect liberty.
S1122a - Domestic Terrorism
The Bill
S1122 restricts the application of terrorism laws against Idaho residents to only apply to people who threaten or use violence in association with international terrorist organizations.
The Amendment
The amendment makes specific reference to federal statute 8 USC §1189, instead of a more vague reference to “federally designated” terrorists.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
This amendment changes the part of the bill with which we have taken issue, but not in the way we would like. The federal statute gives the duty of designating terrorist organizations to the Secretary of State (currently warmonger Antony Blinken). We continue to call for the determination to instead put the judgment in the hands of Idaho juries as a factual element of the crime.
S1153a - Teacher Spending Accounts
The Bill
S1153 would allow the State Department of education to distribute money directly to teachers for classroom-related expenses. None of the money could be used for administration and would go straight to the classrooms.
The Amendment
The amendment makes a minor verbiage change from “local school” to “public school” in one location.
Stance of the LPID Legislative Watch Committee
Our stance has not changed: we oppose this bill.