Determined to Cut Taxes
Caucus members are determined to cut your taxes. While waiting for the Senate to take action on an earlier income tax cut bill, Chairman of the Revenue & Taxation Committee Rep. Steven Harris introduced a new bill on Wednesday. House Bill 380 is co-sponsored by every member of House Republican Caucus Leadership and would…
- Reduce all income tax brackets
- Reduce the number of brackets to five
- Sets the top tax bracket to 6.5% retroactive to January 1, 2021 (most taxpayers are in this bracket)
This would provide $162.9 million in ongoing tax relief and provide a one-time sales tax/income tax rebate, returning $220 million to Idaho taxpayers. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives on Thursday and will now be considered by the Senate.
Protecting Your Voice
On the strength of the Republican Caucus, Wednesday, the Idaho House of Representatives voted to override the Governor’s veto of House Bill 135a by a vote of 48-19. This crucial legislation protects the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches and ensures your voices are heard through our legislative votes.
“Idahoans have made it clear to us that they wanted a rebalancing of governmental powers. We made that one of our priorities for this Legislative Session, and this bill is one of the ways we’re keeping that promise,” said Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Jason Monks, who sponsored H135a. “This bill protects the Constitutional rights that we hold dear, puts sensible limits on disaster declarations, and ensures that no working Idahoan is ever deemed as anything less than ‘essential,’ because they are not.”
The bill now heads to the Senate for their further consideration.
Balancing Powers
On Tuesday, House Republican Caucus members passed Senate Joint Resolution 102, which would allow the Legislature to call itself into session, without relying on the Governor to do so. It was sponsored on the floor of the House by Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Jason Monks and would require a written request of 60% each of the House and Senate membership within 15 days. The issue will now appear on the November 2022 ballot for final approval by the people of Idaho.
Working to Improve Roads
House Republicans are anxiously awaiting their colleagues in the Senate to take action on a piece of transportation legislation they have passed. House Bill 362 is sponsored by Chairman of the House Transportation Committee Rep. Joe Palmer. This comprehensive transportation plan would not raise your taxes. Instead, it would use sales tax already being collected and increases the distribution of that tax to transportation from 1% to 4.5% with 3% going to the state and 1.5% to local districts. It would also allow locals to pool funds for larger projects.
Fighting Discrimination
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed House Bill 377 on Thursday. The bill ensures dignity and nondiscrimination in public education for every student. It makes clear the Legislature’s intent that schools, teachers, and even other students acknowledge the right of others to express differing opinions, and foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and freedom of speech and association. The legislation now moves to the Senate for possible consideration.
Keep Updated
You can learn more about all the legislation being debated by our Caucus members. Just check the House Reading Calendar found at the link below:
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