Newsletter

This Week In Idaho Politics

And here we have 'greater' Idaho
By Chuck Malloy, Idaho Politics Weekly Contributor
Hmmm. Folks in southwestern Oregon may be onto something.

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Grocery tax exemption bill makes sense for Idaho
By Stephen Hartgen
You know spring is coming when the daffodils are up on the south sides of Boise buildings in late February and taxation bills finally get moving in the Legislature. An important measure on the grocery tax exemption taxation has cleared a committee on the House side and represents a couple of clear policies ahead. (HB 494, sponsored by Speaker Scott Bedke.)

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More on HB 515 . . . Rexburg's turn in the spotlight
By Steve Taggart, Idaho Politics Weekly Contributor
Last week the Idaho House Business Committee heard nearly five hours of testimony and then voted to send to House floor HB 515, the Idaho Patient Act. The measure is sponsored by House Assistant Majority Leader Jason Monks.

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Guest opinion: We support students when we support teachers
By Governor Brad Little
When we talk about supporting teachers, we're really talking about supporting students.

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Guest opinion: Trade agreement opens access to neighboring markets
By Sen. Mike Crapo
The original North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) needed to be re-negotiated.  I voted against passage of NAFTA in 1993, because it was flawed. 

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Attorney General Barr is undermining American justice
By Jim Jones
During the impeachment proceeding, former scholar Alan Dershowitz proclaimed that a U.S. President could engage in misconduct to get re-elected, without having to answer for it, if he believed his re-election was in the national interest. The Dershowitz theory runs completely counter to the Founding Fathers' belief that no man, even the president, is above the law. We are a nation of laws, not men.

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Guest opinion: Stop pursuing paperwork penalties to Medicaid expansion
By Luke Mayville & Rebecca Schroeder, Reclaim Idaho
Idaho's working families not to mention every taxpayer in the state received some welcome news last week from Washington, D.C. You don't hear that often, but this time it's true. The D.C. Federal Court of Appeals unanimously rejected Arkansas' so-called "work requirements" it attached to Medicaid.

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Political news notes: Capital for a day . . . Transgender athletes . . . Behavioral Health Council . . . Vaping regulations . . . Roden Medal of Achievement . . . Paid sick leave . . . Circuit Breaker
By Idaho Politics Weekly Staff
Cascade to host 'Capital for a Day'. Gov. Brad Little's next "Capital for a Day" event will be held in Cascade on February 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at American Legion Hall, located at 105 E. Mill St. 

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Lower costs, more cures and who takes credit
By Chuck Malloy, Idaho Politics Weekly Contributor
President Trump has called on Congress to support efforts to lower the outrageous costs of prescription drugs, and what's playing out in Congress is the political version of the "Me Too" movement.

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Idaho's legislative sausage making
By Steve Taggart, Idaho Politics Weekly Contributor
"If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made." - attributed to German leader Otto von Bismarck

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The president is a powerful role model for American kids
By Jim Jones
As we observe Presidents Day this year, it is well to consider the critical role our presidents play in shaping the attitudes and ambitions of America's young people. Being the most conspicuous public figures of their time, presidents can have a tremendous influence on the future lives of contemporaneous youngsters. It can be for better or for worse.

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Guest opinion: Let's not politicize education
By Rep. Steve Berch (D-Boise)
The House Education Committee voted last week to reject and remove every word of Idaho's education standards in math, English and science for all K-12 grades. If this decision stands, over 15,000 teachers charged with educating over 300,000 students will have no standards to guide what is taught in classrooms throughout Idaho.