Getting busy in Boise

Tomorrow’s Senators

By Senator Jim Woodward
Idaho District 1

The pace of the legislative session has definitely picked up. The more controversial bills are making their way out of committees and are coming up for debate in the full body of the Senate and the House.

House Bill 93, which provides a $5,000 per child tax credit for eligible education expenses outside the public school system, has passed in the House and Senate. The bill considers transporting your own child to a private school an eligible expense for the tax credit. The proposed law also caps funding for the tax credit at $50 million which means some Idahoans with eligible expenses may not receive the credit. I know of no other tax credit that you can be eligible for, but then not receive.

I did vote NO on H93. I support education in Idaho, and I have supported programs such an Empowering Parents in the past. However, I believe we must first meet our constitutional obligation to our public school system before we take on additional obligations.

H93 is now in the Governor’s office for his consideration. If you would like to share your thoughts on whether to sign the bill or veto it, you can call (208) 334-2100 and enter your choice in an automated system.

I appreciate all the e-mail and phone messages from home sharing thoughts on pending legislation. House Bill 138, regarding Medicaid Eligibility Waivers, is one of the bills that I have heard a great deal of opposition to. H138 passed on the House floor last week with a vote of 38-32. It now comes to the Senate for a Health and Welfare committee hearing followed by a Senate floor vote.

Bills that passed in the House and Senate this week …

• HB 55. PERSI retirees can begin volunteering at a PERSI employer, without impacting PERSI benefits, immediately upon retiring. The bill eliminates the current 90 day waiting period.
• HB 32. Government entities can no longer mandate the use of masks to prevent or control the spread of an infectious disease.

The first question I always ask when considering a piece of legislation is whether it should be Idaho law? We have rules that stem from law. We have city ordinances and county code. We also have “the code of the West.”

I voted NO on Senate Bill 1038 last week. S1038 provides that the state is not compelled to enforce mandates issued by the World Health Organization. The United States is a sovereign nation and Idaho is part of the United States. We are not under the jurisdiction of the World Health Organization.

This upcoming week I will be presenting the FY2026 Public Safety budget on the Senate floor for approval. The budget provides funding for the Idaho State Police, the Department of Juvenile Corrections, and the Department of Correction.

I am also working on a number of other bills that affect our community:

• Senate Bill 1096 – A change to our school funding formula to provide more local control and to make sure the money follows the child
• Senate Bill 1124 – Defining a standard of care for electric utilities in wildfire liability
• Senate Bill 1095 – An update to the teacher career ladder