Use the form on the right to contact me.
Thank you for your interest in our important work in Idaho.
Boise, ID 83720-0081
U.S.A
(208) 332-1353
Boise Idaho Senator Michelle Stennett, Idaho State Senate Minority Leader
Have you ever put your heart and soul into doing something, hopefully helpful to others, only to realize upon reflection later, how much you received in return? And how much you have yet to learn?
Read MoreThe Idaho Legislature has adjourned until Thursday, March 31, when we plan to adjourn sine die, meaning the regular session will be over for 2022. I continue to serve as the Senator for District 26 until December 1, 2022.
Read MoreSome committees have started winding down and the Senate is spending long hours on the floor as we work towards ending this session.
Read MoreThere has been a flurry of bills on a wide-range of issues moving between the House and the Senate in an effort to end session by March 25th.
Read MoreThis week there was a flurry of activity on bills I am sponsoring or co-sponsoring.
Read MoreH439 requires that unaffiliated voters must change their voter registration status to one of the political parties in order to vote in the primary elections by the candidate filing deadline prior to the primary election. This limits access to the ballot and is particularly troubling for voters who may wish to know who is running prior to affiliating. This disenfranchises independent, unaffiliated voters. H439 passed the House will now come to the Senate for consideration.
Read MoreEach year the Senate has Lincoln Day on the floor. The program is put on by two Senators and often includes meaningful quotes shared by our pages, wonderful music from Idahoans, and important messages from those Senators.
Read MoreThe Senate unanimously passed S1240 on Tuesday. This bill allows homeowners and tenants to record a modification to the title of any property that has a racially restrictive covenant on it at no cost. These covenants are already illegal and unenforceable, but they linger on our records. The modification would be a nullification of the racist language and would become a permanent part of the deed for the property. The bill now heads to the House for its consideration.
Read MoreThis week the Senate passed and the Governor signed a record income tax cut and rebate without addressing working families' needs. Idaho was already a low tax state, in 36th place for tax burden in the United States.
Read MoreBoise State University has been conducting an annual policy survey of Idahoans for seven years now. The data is gathered in a rigorous manner across the state and provides invaluable information for lawmakers as we consider policy choices.
Read MoreThe House Republicans have passed H436 on a nearly party-line vote despite every constituent who testified in committee opposing it. The bill would give someone with $1 million in annual taxable income an ongoing yearly tax cut of $5,000 on top of a nearly $8,000 one-time rebate. Idahoans with the most modest incomes will receive a rebate of $75. The bill also reduces the corporate income tax rate from 6.5% to 6%.
Read MoreThe House has introduced an income tax cut, $600 million, that would most benefit those who need it the least and siphons sales tax funds away from your local governments. The government closest to the people provides services that working Idahoans rely on everyday, such as safe roads and bridges, fire fighting, law enforcement, and safe water to drink. The income tax bill partially off-sets its costs by taking funds from online sales taxes. A portion of sales tax revenues in Idaho are traditionally disbursed to local governments to fund crucial services.
Read MoreIn 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 federal infrastructure plan) can provide timely investment opportunities for transportation, education, broadband, water and electrical grids, housing, and health care.
Read MoreIn the legislative meetings last month, legislators were presented with bills and testimony which showed that more could be done to help the public better understand their existing legal rights pertaining to COVID vaccinations. I hope the following will be helpful to you.
Read MoreIdaho's redistricting efforts are underway. The bipartisan Idaho Commission for Reapportionment has drawn and publicized draft maps for new Federal Congressional Districts and State Legislative Districts. Every ten years, each state undertakes this process to account for population growth and shifts. This year Idaho's Commission intends to finish its work by the end of October.
Read MoreThe American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides direct assistance to the American people and to States and local governments to help us recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Education is an important piece of this recovery. Idahoans know the importance of education, having enshrined it in our Constitution and ranking it repeatedly as a high priority issue in Boise State University annual public policy surveys.
Read MoreThe Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) delivered aid directly to the American people, but it also provides substantial support to state and local governments to assist in our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance is an opportunity to benefit the people of Idaho with a broad range of needs.
Read MoreIt is an honor to represent our legislative district. This legislative session has been chaotic with unprecedent challenges and delays. Unlike most years, it took four months to balance a budget, which we are constitutionally obligated to accomplish in order to conclude our business. Furthermore, the legislature is likely to reconvene before the end of the year to appropriate federal money we will receive from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Read MoreHouse Republicans have drug out this session by rejecting budgets and insisting on trying to harm students and teachers through the budgeting process. Republicans on both sides of the rotunda continue to print new bills, often rehashing issues that have already failed to make it through the process at least once. At the same time, the legislature has failed to address many issues that would benefit the people, such as optional full-day kindergarten, early childhood education, and meaningful property tax reform.
Read More