Latest news with #Bill339
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
President Trump won in 2024. How has the result affected Idaho's election integrity movement?
About two dozen election bills have been introduced in Idaho this legislative session, a total that signals fewer questions around voting across the state compared to past years. Since the 2020 election, far more election bills have typically been introduced, according to Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane and legislative archives. Right out of the gate in 2023, House Bill 1 revised laws around auditing elections. Now, some of the desire for election integrity has fallen off because of outreach and because President Donald Trump won, McGrane, a Republican, told the Idaho Statesman. 'The November election, a combination of the results but also how we ran it, answered a lot of people's questions,' he said by phone. 'For a healthy number of Idahoans, they seem to have moved on … elections just isn't at the top.' Idaho's elections are safe, McGrane said. This session's election-related bills range from giving the attorney general the ability to investigate and prosecute election crimes to requiring a unique identifier on each ballot. Another would require anti-fraud measures like a hologram design on ballots. Other bills focus on checking voter rolls or underscoring that only citizens can vote (which already is the law). So far, House Bill 310, which also requires certain anti-fraud measures, is one of the closest to becoming law. The bill passed the House, advanced out of the Senate State Affairs Committee and awaits a full vote on the Senate floor. Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Coeur d'Alene, sponsored at least three of the election security bills, including the proposed law to grant the attorney general power to investigate election crimes. The Attorney General's Office declined to comment, citing pending legislation. Alfieri still had some questions, but said he's 'confident in what we're doing' and he doesn't see cause for concern in Idaho elections 'When you move into a neighborhood, if it's a low crime neighborhood, that doesn't mean you don't put locks on the doors,' Alfieri told the Statesman. Idaho is ranked 28th in conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation's election integrity scorecard, Alfieri said. Alfieri's goal is to improve the Gem State's position, he said. (McGrane said he agreed with the goal.) Rep. Steve Tanner, R-Nampa, who sponsored at least two of the other election bills this session, didn't return a request for comment. In a House committee hearing this week, Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, said that House Bill 339, which aims to check voter registrations, 'codifies' the process that the secretary of state already follows. The bill advanced to the House floor with a committee recommendation to pass it. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in recent elections, according to The Atlantic, but many officials like Trump have falsely claimed and without evidence that the 2020 election was stolen. Some of those lies have been costly: In 2023, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation lawsuit, paying almost $800 million to avoid trial, according to The Associated Press. Idaho officials have expressed confidence in state elections before, the Statesman previously reported. For example, outspoken 2020 election denier Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, in 2021 claimed that results in the state were manipulated to help former Democratic President Joe Biden. That election, Trump won almost 64% of the vote in Idaho. Idaho investigated and determined the claims were untrue. The state later billed Lindell for the cost of disproving him, along with sending a cease and desist letter, according to previous Statesman reporting. 'Do we believe there's integrity in Idaho's elections? Absolutely,' Chad Houck, former chief deputy secretary of state, said at the time.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Income-based housing protections bill moves onto Senate
Mar. 1—An anti-discrimination housing bill is heading to the Senate. House Bill 339 passed the House floor by a vote of 42-24 on Saturday. The legislation would amend the Human Rights Act to label housing discrimination based on a source of income an illegal practice. The legislation specifically adds protections for Social Security benefits; pension, annuity, alimony or child support; and any form of assistance from local, state or federal governments or nonprofits, such as housing vouchers. Bill sponsor Rep. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces, said she introduced the legislation because landlords are denying housing requests based on a potential tenant's source of income. "You can still do credit reports, you can still check their history, you can still do all of the things that you're doing already for tenants when you're looking for tenants," Rubio said in response to a question on the floor. "But you just cannot deny them just because of their source of income." If anyone believes they've been discriminated against for housing based on source of income, they could report it to the New Mexico Department of Justice along with a burden of proof — something like a letter from a landlord listing a denial reason as not accepting Social Security, Rubio explained. She also said this effort could help to preemptively prevent homelessness. Rep. Mark Duncan, R-Kirtland, voiced concerns about landlords violating this bill if they don't fix up a housing property to meet low-income loan standards, and therefore don't accept housing applications from people with low-income loans or vouchers. To address this, he successfully amended the bill to ensure it doesn't require anyone to repair or improve a property to meet housing standards set by optional assistance programs. Duncan still voted against the bill, along with other Republicans. "There's a reason why they say you should make three times the amount (of rent)," said Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park, who said this would back landlords into a corner of human rights' violations and lawsuits.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Today at the Roundhouse, Feb. 20
Feb. 20—The 60-day session has reached its halfway point, and Thursday marks the final day to introduce bills. Days are getting longer, with both House and Senate committees running well past sunset Wednesday. Here are a few things to watch out for on Thursday, Feb. 20. Housing: A bill to strengthen protections against discrimination for renters and homebuyers is expected to be heard in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. Water: A few water measures are in the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources Committee, including the Reclaimed Water Act and funds for water security planning. Football Monday: Senate Bill 339 would make the second Monday of February a new public holiday: Football Monday. The bill goes before the Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee in the morning. West Side Day: It's officially West Side Day at the Roundhouse — of Albuquerque, that is, not all of New Mexico. It's also Mora County Day at the Legislature, and the Sierra Club's Rio Grande chapter will be celebrating Land, Water and Wildlife Day at the Capitol.
