Keeping Our Promises
After a two-week recess, your representatives in the House Republican Caucus are back in the statehouse. We never stopped working for you, but now that we’re back at the Capitol, we can resume our work in getting our legislative priorities across the finish line:
- Balance of Power Realignment
- Property Tax Relief & Transparency
- Unanticipated Surplus Distribution
- Transportation & Infrastructure Improvements
- Education Investments Review
Specifically, in the final couple weeks of the session, we’ll focus on passing our transportation package, income tax cuts and rebates for Idahoans, and further review of the governor’s authority during emergencies.
Improving Idaho Transportation
Transportation Committee Chairman, Rep. Joe Palmer, continues to work on improving our state’s transportation infrastructure. His House Bill 362 would not raise your taxes, but it would increase the amount of already collected sales tax being allocated to improving our roads and bridges. It would also allow more bonding for large infrastructure projects on the state highway system. Additionally, the bill allows for more funding to go to local highway departments.
“We’ve been working on it for a long time,” said Chairman Palmer. “This is a good bill. It’d be good for every single district in the state of Idaho.”
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the bill with a 59-11 vote on Thursday. The legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Protecting Rural Voters
Representative Jim Addis is protecting the voice of rural voters. He co-sponsored Senate Bill 1110, which passed the House on Wednesday with a 51-18 vote. This legislation would increase voter involvement and inclusivity in the referendum/voter initiative process by ensuring signatures are gathered from each of the 35 legislative districts. Every part of Idaho needs to be included in this important process. The bill now heads to the governor for his consideration.
Holding Universities Accountable
Your House of Representatives is committed to holding Idaho colleges and universities accountable for their social justice programs. Wednesday, the House soundly defeated the higher education budget with a 13-57 vote over concerns surrounding Boise State’s promotion of damaging social justice ideology. Rep. Paul Amador asked for a “no” vote, despite the fact he was carrying the budget, understanding it wasn’t right for Idaho. Now, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) will start anew on a budget that will actually work for Idaho’s colleges, universities, and our students.
Conservative Budgeting
Your House of Representatives reviewed and approved a stack of budgets for state agencies that passed conservative muster. The budgets passed this week include those for the Office of Drug Policy, Department of Water Resources, and the Wolf Depredation Control Board, among others. These budgets now head to the Governor for his approval and signature.
Learn More
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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