CANYON COUNTY DEMOCRATS
WELCOME!
Upcoming Elections
2024 Election Dates: Primary, May 21; Local agencies, Aug. 27; General, Nov. 5
The Canyon County Elections Office is at 1102 E. Chicago, St., Caldwell, ID 83605
Absentee ballots must be requested for each calendar year.
Request a 2024 ABSENTEE BALLOT
How did your legislators vote?
BAD BILLS: When yes votes hurt
The ones that passed are hurting Idahoans. Fortunately, many didn't.
All Canyon County legislators are Republicans. Check which district you are in.
NOTE: "Bills" were introduced, but did not become laws.
Education
VOUCHERS BILL. There were five bills giving money (usually $6,000) to parents who would take a child out of public school whether the child was then schooled at home, in private or religious schools, or not at all. Republicans were sure one would pass, but enough of them listened to Idaho voters that none succeeded. SB 1161 died in the House Ed Committee so House members never voted on it.
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SB1161
LIBRARY CENSORSHIP BILL. HB 314 would have allowed parents to sue schools or libraries for $2500 in damages each time a child accessed “harmful” material containing “nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement or sado-masochistic abuse.” The bill was vetoed by the Governor.
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LIBRARY SUITS HB 314
Health
VACCINATIONS LAW. Twelve iterations of anti-vaccine or COVID-19. SB 1130 bans businesses from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for their employees or customers.
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VACCINATIONS SB1130
GENDER AFFIRMING CARE LAW. HB 71 makes if a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison to give minors hormones, puberty blockers or transition-related surgeries. The government is overruling parents' decisions on a child's medical treatment.
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GENDER CARE HB 71
TRAFFICKING MINORS LAW. HB 242 criminalizes transporting a pregnant minor who’s seeking an abortion out of state or providing a pregnant minor with an abortion-inducing drug without parental knowledge. It includes a penalty of two to five years in prison.
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HELPING MINORS HB 242
Right Wing Favorites: Pro-guns, Anti-local control
ARMED MILITIA BILL. SB 1056 would have repealed state law that prohibits private militias and paramilitary organizations. The Senate passed the bill; it died in the House Transportation and Defense Committee.
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ARMED MILITIA SB 1056
NO LOCAL RULINGS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY LAW. HB 106 prohibits local governments from placing restrictions on the types of energy buildings can use.
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NO LOCAL RULE HB 106
Voting Restriction Bills
STUDENT ID LAW. HB 124 eliminates the ability to use a student ID card as proof of identy for voting. (All voters may get state identity cards free for voting purposes.)
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STUDENT ID HB 124
STRICTER REQUIREMENTS FOR INTIATIVES AND REFERENDUMS RESOLUTION. SJR 101 would amend the Idaho Constitution to require 6% of voters in each of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts to sign a petition that put an citizen initiative or referendum on the ballot. IIt needed two-thirds approval from the House and Senate to get on the ballot. It was adopted by the Senate but failed in the House.
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INITIATIVES SJR 101
VOTING RESTRICTION BILLS. HB 137 would have removed the right to request an affidavit when lacking an ID at the polls. HB 205 would have ended no-excuse absentee voting except for those in the military. with a disability or with an illness, job or class that prevented them from voting. HB 259 would have prohibited anyone except govenment officials from distributing absentee ballot applications. Every Canyon County representative voted for HB 259 which was the only one to pass the House; it was not voted on in the Senate.
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ABSENTEE VOTING HB205
GOOD BILLS: When the no votes hurt
Education
LAUNCH GRANTS LAW. HB 24 provides grants of up to $8,000 to high school graduates preparing for careers the state has ruled important. The money is for tuition in state and community colleges and vocational programs. The majority of Republicans in the House voted against it, and every Democratic vote was necessary to pass it.
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LAUNCH GRANTS HB 24
APPROPRIATIONS LAWS. Two of the dozen education bills passed nearly unanimously--funding for the teachers' salaries (SB 1205) and for the STEM action center for training teachers (SB 1136). Affirmative votes for other bills ranged from 41 to 57 in the House and 24-31 in the Senate. Charts for the most opposed bill, expanding capacity for career-tech education in grades 7-12 (HB 364), and for a mid-range bill, one to provide for special resources for children, SB 1207, are below.
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CAREER TECH HB364
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RESOURCES SB1207
CAREER-TECHNICAL EDUCATION, GRADES 7-12, LAW. HB 267 fund programs to prepare students to meet local and regional workforce needs.
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CAREER TECH HB 267
Fairness
RENTAL FEES DISCLOSURE LAW. SB 1039, introduced by Democrat Alison Rabe, will require that landlords’ fees for renters be “reasonable” and disclosed in contracts.
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RENTAL FEES SB 1039
HUMAN RIGHTS BILL. SB 1011, introduced by Democrat Melissa Wintrow, would add the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the Idaho Human Rights Act. It died in the State Affairs Committee.
Health
RURAL NURSING LOAN REPAYMENT LAW. HB 213 will provide $5000 per year for repaying loans of 100 nurses serving in rural areas. It was sharply contested.
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CARE FOR MOTHERS BILLS. HB 122 would have extended Medicare coverage for 12 months after delivery. The Federal Government would pay for 80% of the cost over the next four years. HB 108 would have continued reviews of maternal deaths in the state and recommendations to improve health services for new and expecting mothers. Both bills died in the Health and Welfare Committee.
NURSES' LOANS HB 213
CHILD WELFARE BILLS. The Joint Finance Committee did not include a $36 million dollar federal grant for childcare and a $2 milllion proposal for child abuse and neglect prevention programs. After protest rallies at the capital, JFAC introduced SB 1203 to extend childcare funding through June of 2023. The abuse and prevention programs were not voted on.
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CHILDCARE SB1203
Taxes
GROCERY TAX BILL. HB 33, introduced by Democrat Steve Berch, would repeal the sales tax on groceries and end the grocery tax credit. It died in the Ways & Means Committee.
PROPERTY TAX LAW. The legislature considered a number of different property tax reductions this session. HB 292 cuts property taxes and budgeted funds for schools to reduce their debt on bond and levies. It also eliminated March dates for school bond and levy elections so more levies will have to be on the ballot during May primaries when the number of Republicans voting is several times the number of Democrats. Both Houses overrode Gov. Little's veto. The original votes are shown.
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