Latest news with #R-Meridian
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Brad Little signs bill to let Idaho doctors refuse care if it violates beliefs
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (center) walks with the delegation of legislators, including House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, (left) and Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, (right) selected to escort him to the House chamber to give his annual State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025 at the Statehouse in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill that prevents health care professionals and entities from being forced to participate in nonemergency procedures that would violate their sincerely held religious or moral beliefs. Sen. Carl Bjerke, R-Coeur d'Alene, and Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, co-sponsored House Bill 59, dubbed the Medical Ethics Defense Act. The bill takes effect immediately, through an emergency clause. Little signed the bill into law Wednesday, according to the governor's office legislation tracker. The Idaho Legislature widely passed the bill on party-line votes, with opposition from all 15 Democratic lawmakers and support from all 86 Republican lawmakers who were present for votes on the bill. (There are 90 Idaho Republican lawmakers.) 'Health care providers shall have the right of conscience and, pursuant to this right, shall not be required to participate in or pay for a medical procedure, treatment, or service that violates such health care provider's conscience,' the bill states. Bjerke has said the bill was patterned after a law passed in 2024, through Senate Bill 1352, which allowed counselors and therapists to refuse counseling clients in support of goals, outcomes or behaviors that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. 'This proposed legislation is intended to protect conscience rights of health care professionals and health care entities. It protects them from being forced to participate in non-emergency procedures that would violate their sincerely held religious moral or ethical beliefs,' Bjerke told the Idaho Senate. Sen. Ron Taylor, D-Hailey, who opposed the bill, said the bill fundamentally confuses the relationship between personal conscience and professional duty. Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Idaho's director Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman asked Little to veto the bill, saying 'it gives health care workers a license to discriminate.' The bill 'will undermine medical standards, put patients' lives at risk, and create legal chaos for Idaho's entire health care system,' DelliCarpini-Tolman said in a written statement. 'No one should be denied care because of someone else's personal beliefs. Health care must be driven by medical expertise, not ideology.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Revised property tax cut bill introduced in Idaho Legislature
Idaho House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, (center) answers a question from a reporter at a press conference on Jan. 6, 2025, at the Statehouse in Boise. Also pictured are House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, (left) and House Assistant Majority Leader Josh Tanner, R-Eagle. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) A revised property tax reduction bill surfaced Friday in the Idaho Legislature. The new bill, House Bill 304, is a revised version of House Bill 74, a property tax bill that the Idaho Legislature introduced on Jan. 28. Both bills would spend $50 million for a fund to build or renovate public school district facilities and another $50 million for the state's homeowners property tax relief fund. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The main difference between the two bills is that under the first bill the $50 million for the homeowners property tax relief fund was a one-time transfer. Under the new bill, the funding for school district facilities and the homeowners property tax relief fund would be ongoing every year. On Friday, the Idaho Legislature's House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted to hold the old House Bill 74 in committee and then recommended sending the new House Bill 304 straight to the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives. House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R- Meridian, co-sponsored and presented the new bill Friday. 'I believe property taxes is one of those important issues that our constituents have demanded that we address, and I think this is a fair way of addressing it,' Monks said. To provide money for school facilities and the homeowners property tax relief fund, the bill shifts money generated from the sales tax, which otherwise would have gone to the state's general fund. The bill reduces the general fund by $100 million every year, money that otherwise would be available to fund government programs such as public schools, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare services, state parks or fighting wildfires on state lands. CONTACT US Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise, voted to introduce the new property tax bill but expressed concern with continuing to direct sales tax revenue away from the general fund. This year, a series of tax cut proposals and a bill that would allow Idaho families to receive a refundable tax credit from the state for expenses including tuition at private and religious schools would reduce the general fund by more than $453 million if all of those bills pass. 'That money is coming out of the bucket that funds public education and vital services and other activities of the state,' Berch said. 'And my concern is that we need to step back and look at a bigger picture here.' Berch voted to introduce the new bill because he said high property taxes is one of the main concerns he hears from his constituents. House Bill 304 was sent to the House floor Friday morning and could come up for a vote in the Idaho House as early as Monday morning. If a majority of members of the Idaho House vote to pass the bill, it would be sent to the Idaho Senate for consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Private education tax credit bill heads to Idaho governor
Idaho Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, (right) conducts legislative business on the Senate floor on Jan. 7, 2025, at the State Capitol Building in Boise. Also pictured is Idaho Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon, R-Rupert. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) This story was originally published by Idaho Education News on Feb. 19, 2025. The Idaho Senate on Wednesday narrowly approved a plan to spend $50 million on refundable tax credits for private education expenses, sending House Bill 93 to the governor. Senators debated the divisive proposal for more than two hours before approving it by a 20-15 vote. Twenty Republicans supported it while nine GOP senators joined six Democrats in opposition. House Bill 93 already cleared the House, and Gov. Brad Little's signature is the final hurdle before the legislation becomes law. Little hasn't publicly shared his views on this bill. But last month he promised to support a $50 million private school choice bill that's 'fair, responsible, transparent and accountable' and doesn't take money away from public schools. If Little approves of House Bill 93, non-public school students would be able to claim a refundable tax credit worth up to $5,000. Students with special needs could claim $7,500. 'Parental school choice is first and foremost about kids and families,' said co-sponsor and Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian. 'It's not about the type of school or the type of system.' Wednesday's vote marks the first time the Legislature has passed a private school choice bill offering state funds for K-12 tuition, after years of advocacy led by Den Hartog and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls. Supporters celebrated the successful vote. 'Families win,' Mountain States Policy Center President Chris Cargill said in a news release. 'Lawmakers have seen the research and have responded in a historic way.' The Idaho Education Association, on the other hand, called the bill's passage 'a huge step backward for Idaho's students and public schools.' The teachers' union has fervently opposed legislation directing public funds to private schooling. 'This bill was not 'done the Idaho way,' as Gov. Little called for during his State of the State address,' IEA President Layne McInelly said in a news release. 'Instead, lawmakers gave Idahoans legislation cut-and-pasted from other states by out-of-state lobbyists backed by billionaires who want to plunder Idaho's public school budget for their own profit.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Idaho's grocery tax credit would increase to $155 under new bill
Idaho House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, (center) answers a question from a reporter at a press conference on Jan. 6, 2025, at the Statehouse in Boise. Also pictured are House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, (left) and House Assistant Majority Leader Josh Tanner, R-Eagle. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) The tax credit Idahoans receive for buying groceries would increase from $120 a year to $155 a year under a new bill introduced Monday in the Idaho Legislature. House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, sponsored the new bill, House Bill 61, saying the state has not increased the tax credit for two years. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We've seen a lot of inflation taking place lately on the groceries,' Monks said. 'It's important that individuals have the ability to purchase food without having to pay additional taxes on that, and so this particular legislation would increase that credit from $120 to $155.' Before this bill, the Idaho Legislature last increased the grocery tax credit from $100 to $120 in 2023. If Monks' bill is passed into law, the credit would cover about $10,033 in groceries for a family of four every year with a $620 grocery credit, Monks said. That corresponds to covering $861 worth of groceries each month. As is the case currently, the taxpayer filing the tax return, their spouse and each dependent would be eligible to receive the credit, which is why the credit would be $620 for a family of four. However, in lieu of the new $155 per credit, Monks' bill also allows Idaho taxpayers to save all of their grocery receipts for the whole year and submit their receipts to the Idaho State Tax Commission to receive a credit of up to $250 a year – in case they buy more groceries than the standard $155 credit would offset. Under the new bill, the $155 grocery tax credit would apply uniformly to all Idahoans who do not submit itemized receipts. Currently, senior citizens receive a larger credit than the general public. Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, expressed concern for seniors, many of whom may be retired or on a fixed income. 'It looks to me like seniors are only going to get $15 more on their grocery tax credit,' Gannon said. CONTACT US Monks told Gannon the choice to make the $155 credit uniform was deliberate. Monks said he always thought the increased credit for seniors was off because he said in his experience teenagers eat more than seniors. While Monks' bill would increase the tax credit Idaho taxpayers receive each year, it would leave the sales tax in place on groceries so that the state can collect sales tax revenue on groceries that out-of-state visitors buy. 'Being that tourism is one of our largest industries in the state, we get a lot of money that comes in from that, and that wouldn't change under this scenario,' Monks said. A fiscal note attached to the new bill estimates that it would reduce sales tax revenue to the state by about $50 million. Following a short debate, the House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted to introduce the new bill Monday, which clears the way for the bill to return to the committee for a full public hearing. House Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman David Cannon, R-Blackfoot, said his committee is not accepting remote virtual testimony on bills this year. However, Cannon said he will allow Idahoans to submit written email testimony by 4 p.m. the day before a hearing. To submit written testimony, people should send an email to hrev@ with the subject line clearly marked for legislative testimony. Cannon said everyone submitting email testimony must include their name, legislative district and any organization or group they represent, followed by the bill number they wish to testify on and whether they are for or against the bill. Cannon encouraged email writers to keep their testimony short so that it would last two minutes or less if read aloud. Cannon said the committee secretary would read some email testimony, giving preference to writers who live farther from the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
