Idaho Democratic Party News and Articles

We're officially at the halfway point of the 2023 Legislative Session. That is, if Republicans agree to play by the rules. You could say we're Livin' on a Prayer. ESA Vouchers Pass Out of Committee ESA vouchers passed out of Senate Education on a 6-3 vote today. Both Democrats on the committee, Senators Janie Ward-Engelking and Carrie Semmelroth, voted against the bill.    ESA Vouchers SB 1038 diverts $45 million away [...]

Throughout history, generations of Americans have fought for the right to vote. We must be ever-vigilant when there are attempts to chip away at this right, as we see today in Idaho. With our free and fair elections strong — as demonstrated by recent audits — it is troubling to see the latest slate of voter suppression bills. Republican legislators seem intent on creating new hurdles — especially younger voters [...]

With a looming deadline to introduce legislation, we’ve seen a flurry of activity in the fifth week of the legislative session. Let Idahoans Vote For decades, there has been a coordinated effort to put barriers in front of the ballot box across the United States. Now, Republican politicians are bringing these voter suppression schemes to Idaho.    Voter ID Restrictions  HB 54 eliminates student IDs and personal identification affidavits at the [...]

This week, I was gaveled down on the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives. My offense? Referencing pregnancy while debating a bill designed to mandate abortion investigations by local police.  House Bill 22 seeks to strip local control and prohibit the explicit prioritization of criminal investigations. It is a direct response to the City of Boise deprioritizing abortion investigations, but extends to any felony and threatens to cut off [...]

As temperatures dip below zero in parts of Idaho, things are heating up during the fourth week of the legislative session. Protect Our Public Schools 👎   Senate Bill 1038 – School Voucher ESAs Yesterday, a group of Republican politicians introduced legislation to divert public dollars away from public education and students to subsidize private and religious schools with ZERO oversight or accountability. Years of chronic underfunding have forced our public [...]

In Idaho, we value our quality of life. One way we maintain it is through local services including public safety, emergency response, and parks. These services and more are funded by property taxes. Our challenge is that homeowners are shouldering an increasing, unsustainable share of the property tax load while other types of real estate – even some quite profitable corporations – are paying less with each passing year. Reindexing [...]