Finally We Are Almost Done

It 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.

Idaho has a budget surplus due to spending holdbacks, a rebounding economy for some sectors, and some federal COVID-19 relief funds. Listening to Idahoans, several of us have been negotiating furiously to make critical investments in education, infrastructure, healthcare, and give meaningful property tax relief, but we have been blocked by the Idaho House for political reasons.

BALANCE OF POWER

The main theme for this session has been the legislature trying to increase its own power.  We spent much of our time focused on the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches, with multiple bills in both houses centered on this topic.  Concern over this arose in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor's responses to it.  However, it is important to consider not just the short-term politics of today's crisis, but the long-term consequences of how power is allocated in Idaho.  For example, emergency declarations are a crucial part of our response to a variety of events, including droughts, floods, and wildfires.  These events and recovery from them can last months or years.  If an emergency declaration is lifted prematurely due to an arbitrary cut-off date, the aid ends before the need does.

Both the House and the Senate have passed bills to allow the legislature to call itself back into session; this will now come to you, the voters, as it requires an amendment to the Idaho Constitution.   Many state legislatures do have this authority; however, the current proposal to do this is not crafted narrowly enough to prevent frivolous special sessions and ensure that Idaho’s legislature remains a part-time body.  This is especially concerning given that 2021 is the longest session in Idaho history.

The quest for legislative power also showed up in other frivolous forms, like a bill to limit cities’ authority to spend money on public art and a bill to require legislative approval for renaming a street, park, school, etc. under some circumstances. It also was apparent in intrusive ways such as a bill to cap counties, cities, and other taxing district’s ability to collect taxes needed to provide crucial services, taking away local authority over public health declarations, and more.  The legislature also focused, again, on trying to make it so difficult for the people to get initiatives on the ballot that it might become impossible to exercise that Constitutional right. The legislature and the Governor should not protect their power while taking the people’s power away.

EDUCATION

Investing in education has always been a priority for Idaho citizens.  The 2021 session has been a challenge to our constitutional dictate “to establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.”  As we approach the end of this session, around twenty bills have attacked public education with the House Republicans outright refusing to fund education, turning their backs on over $70 million during an immensely difficult time.  It seems budgets are being used to punish students.  In addition, we were not able to get a vote on optional full-day kindergarten or an early childhood grant.  Instead, there were attempts to remove the qualifications for teacher certification and provide millions in state funds for private schools.

Local control has always been the theme of education, but we have seen an over-zealous attempt to set one-sided state mandates on to our local school districts. Several bills set out to penalize our schools for COVID decisions by withholding funds.  Several other bills were designed to mandate parent involvement and choices while negating school board choices and policies.  Teachers and their professionalism were berated either through their certification standards or school collaborations.  Our local schools are a partnership with every one of our communities-parents, students, teachers, and administrators alike.  Our most vital commodity is our children — let’s all work together.

TAXES

Idaho is no longer a low cost of living state. Instead, many Idahoans struggle to stay in their homes and earn a living wage. We drafted several pieces of legislation that would have provided direct property tax relief and update the circuit breaker that would help our seniors and those on fixed incomes.  Our tax burden has shifted more to residential properties and less on commercial properties in a time of extraordinary population growth. Growth is not paying for growth and our tax policy is now threatening funding for public safety and other essential services. Legislative tax breaks shift the tax load more heavily onto the shoulders of more modest income Idahoans. This persistent unwillingness to ameliorate the lives of the majority of our citizens is demonstrated in the latest bill that gives 60% of Idahoans only $14-15 per month in tax relief.

Idaho is sitting on over a billion dollars of revenue that constitutionally should benefit the health and welfare of Idahoans, like transportation infrastructure, broadband, healthcare, and public education. 

Respectfully,

Senator Michelle Stennett

Representative Sally Toone

Representative Muffy Davis