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Boise, ID 83720-0081
U.S.A

(208) 332-1353

Boise Idaho Senator Michelle Stennett, Idaho State Senate Minority Leader

News Blog

Legislature Attacks Education and Our Children

Michelle Stennett

The Senate is substantially ahead of the House in completing legislative work, so we have recessed from Wednesday, April 14 to Monday, April 19. The committee that puts together budgets for the state did its work and sent bills to the House for approval, but the House has voted down budget after budget. In some cases, the House sponsor of a budget bill has even debated against it, which is unheard of. Idaho has over $600 million in our general fund, plus approximately $200 million in the online tax fund so there is simply no excuse for the House continuing to vote down budgets to fund education. It defies logic.

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How the American Rescue Plan Act Can Help Idaho

Michelle Stennett

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. The Legislative Services Office has put together a review of this law with in-depth information. At this time, it looks like Idaho may be able to access over $5 billion in direct payments, grants, and fiscal relief through this bill. Many of the provisions in ARPA apply to 2021 to 2025, but some will span even longer time periods.

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Recess and Taxes

Michelle Stennett

The Legislature has recessed until April 6, 2021 due to multiple cases of COVID-19 among legislators and staff. I hope that everyone has a speedy and complete recovery and that we do not spread the disease further. We have the capability to do our work remotely as we spent federal aid money on the technology necessary, but the majority refuses to make rule changes to allow it. When we return, we will address remaining bills and budgets.

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Education, Emergencies, and Salmon

Michelle Stennett

Idahoans have long considered education one of their top priorities, with it appearing as a top five issue in a 2020 survey, so it is especially encouraging to see progress on this front. Senator Ward-Engelking and others on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the rotunda at the Statehouse have been working on H331. This bill would provide for optional full-day kindergarten in every school district in Idaho--it would be optional both for districts and for parents. H331 is scheduled for a hearing before the House Education Committee on Monday at 8:30am. You can express your views to the committee by emailing the members or signing up to testify remotely--sign-up through the link on the committee agenda.

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Initiative, Tenants, Vaccines, and Health Insurance

Michelle Stennett

The Legislature is constitutionally obligated to balance the state budget annually. We just completed week 8 and the Governor has only received 15 bills and both House and Senate have passed 23 bills, half of usual. By comparison, last year the Legislature finished its work by the third week of March. Instead, the House killed budgets this week, refusing a $6 million federal grant for early education, prohibiting dire health care by defeating the Catastrophic Healthcare Fund supplemental provided for counties, and no money for Idaho’s Attorney General.

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Wages, Property Taxes, and Cost of Living

Michelle Stennett

Idaho’s cost of living is not low, wages are. According to the Idaho Department of Labor, in the last 5 years, housing costs have gone up 73% while wages have only gone up 14%, averaging $17 per hour and a mean yearly income of $35,000. Idaho has the lowest wages among all of our surrounding states and the highest amount of minimum wage earners per capita in the nation. In the last 10 years, Ada County housing prices have gone up 300% and up 149% in Idaho.

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Initiatives, Public Health Districts, and Session bills

Michelle Stennett

Idaho’s Initiative/Referendum process is being restricted again in SB1110 requiring 6% of registered voter signatures from all 35 legislative districts in order to go to the ballot. Idaho already has the most restrictive initiative process in the nation for participating states and this doubles the number of counties which doubles the signature gathering. If 34 districts gather enough signatures, but one doesn’t, this bill gives veto power to the one district and no voice to the rest. Medicaid Expansion gathered only qualified 21 districts, not 35, yet notably, 8 of the districts that did not qualify the petition voted in favor of it in the election for a total of 61%.

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Elections and Covid-19 Vaccines

Michelle Stennett

As we move forward with policy, we need to take into account the demographic lay of the land. Based on drivers licenses surrendered when moving into Idaho, the largest net gain of people moving to Idaho in 2020 did so from California, Utah, and Washington, with California providing the largest number.

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