Legislative Updates
On Monday, Federal COVID-19 relief funds, which provide $24 million in assistance to child care providers in Idaho amid the pandemic, passed on a 40-30 vote. Our child care providers face challenging margins in good times. The COVID crisis has threatened to put them out of business. We both enthusiastically voted yes because we need our network of child care providers to survive for the long-term.
We experienced a powerful moment when we passed the Wrongful Conviction Act. Christopher Tapp served 20 years in prison before he was exonerated from his wrongful conviction of rape and murder. He sat in the House gallery as we voted unanimously in favor of the bill inspired by his case. We can’t undo the injustice. We can offer some compensation for years lost.
This serves as a reminder that our justice system is flawed. Race and ability to afford legal defense impact convictions and sentencing. Christopher Tapp was only 19 years old when he made a false confession after being questioned repeatedly over 20 hours. We must do better.
The House passed House Bill 101 on a near-party-line 54-15 vote. The legislation gives state agencies the option of hiring private attorneys at taxpayer expense rather than relying on the Idaho Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office has a strong history of providing expert legal analysis at a fraction of the cost of private attorneys. This bill will allow political appointees to “shop around” for legal analysis that aligns with political goals. We both voted against this wasteful legislation.
The House passed House Bill 216, the Medicaid supplemental appropriation for next year, which recognizes the receipt of millions in additional federal matching funds authorized because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget bill, which passed the House on a 37-31 vote and now moves to the Senate, lowers the state general funds going into Medicaid this year by $35.8 million, while increasing the amount of federal funds going to the program by $304.8 million. We were disappointed to hear Republicans contemplate reversing our voter-enacted Medicaid expansion as they debated against funding this obligation. We joined our entire Democratic caucus in voting in favor. This is one of several must-pass budget bills that would have failed without Democrats this week.
The House also killed some good legislation. House Bill 209 died in a 25-42 vote. It would have created a Medicaid stabilization account, allowing the state to save when the Medicaid program is flush so it can cover times when funds are lean, which is also when more people rely on Medicaid. We supported this fiscally responsible bill and were disappointed to see it fail.
The House voted 56-12 on party lines to pass House Bill 223. This is an updated voter suppression bill. It would make it a felony to deliver a friend or neighbor’s sealed ballot with their permission. If signed into law, it will undoubtedly have an adverse impact on rural Idahoans, seniors, people with disabilities and those without transportation. We oppose any measure that makes it harder for people to have their vote counted.
Power Plays Continue
Our caucus leadership held a virtual press conference Wednesday and discussed the need to put people over power plays, emphasizing the urgency to move away from bills that grab more power for the legislature and instead use the remaining time in the session to address education, property taxes and infrastructure. Read more about it here.
Lauren’s Corner
We had a few heart-wrenching votes this week, but one hit me especially hard. Sen. Melissa Wintrow poured hours of work into a great bill that I carried on the House floor. It would have made it easier for ‘certified family homes’ that serve adults with disabilities (in exchange for very little pay from Medicaid) to qualify for property tax assistance.
It is crucial that we do not tax these low-income Idahoans out of their homes because their clients will otherwise have to be institutionalized. Clients enjoy a better quality of life in our communities. This also saves the state around $170 million annually. The bill failed on a devastating, razor-thin margin.
On the bright side, I look forward to presenting the Fair Chance Employment Act in the House Judiciary, Rules & Administration Committee on Wednesday, March 3rd at 1:30pm. You can find the agenda and sign up to testify here.
I secured two majority party cosponsors for my bill to increase the homeowner’s exemption and restore balance to our property taxes. I delivered the bill to the Chairman Harris of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. If you would like to encourage him to give the bill a hearing, you can email him at sharris@house.idaho.gov.
Chris’s Corner
Let me start with some good news. The legislature appropriated funds for some long overdue facility maintenance at the Bruneau Dunes State Park Observatory. My family loves dark skies and dark sky viewing; it’s why we love the Observatory. The legislature’s investment will improve the facility’s value and visitor experience.
This past week was a tough one in State Affairs. On both Monday and Friday we discussed (then passed) a bill that would redefine the state’s definition of “Disaster.” It’s not the worst bill ever but it proposes renaming “Disasters” to exclude anything caused by a violent act. So under the bill, a terrorist attack or a terrorist-caused flood would not be considered a disaster. While I have concerns about this definition, the other Democrat on the committee has concerns with the downstream consequences on the Governor’s emergency declaration powers. Next stop: House Floor.
On Thursday after a couple hours of discussions, the State Affairs Committee passed House Bill 220, which would halt all public funding to entities (or their affiliates) that provide abortion-related services, even if such services represent a fraction of its overall work. I did not support this legislation because Idaho has too few affordable preventative and primary health care providers, so it’s counterproductive to withhold support for those that are…even if they occassaionally provide constitutionally-protected abortion services. Next stop: House Floor.
Later that day, the Agricultural Affairs Committee on Thursday, we chose to delay a vote on House Bill 126, an industrial hemp legalization bill, until committee members can collect more information. It will probably be voted on this Tuesday, and I am supportive.
Please note that on Monday mornings, I release short videos (approximately 100 seconds) on my social media accounts. These videos provide a preview of those bills and activities that have my particular attention each week. Please follow @MathiasforIdaho if you’d like to view them.