By Idaho District 1 Senator Jim Woodward
I was happy to hear about the great turnout for the January townhall meetings and sorry I had to miss them. Our next townhall meetings are scheduled for February 28 and March 28. Please join us for an update and with your questions.
We are looking for a bigger space in Bonners Ferry. Stay tuned for updates on the location.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and well wishes for our son. He did break multiple bones in his back, which will require some time off his feet to heal, but he is home and on the road to recovery!
I also want to acknowledge Bonner County EMS, Bonner General Hospital, and LifeFlight for their excellent work and decisions. Watching the care provided and following the decision-making process as it went up the chain from our local emergency room to the only Level 1 trauma center serving seven states is something I will not forget.
Thank you to all involved.
Last week on The Ranch Podcast, we discussed the state budget and conformity of our state tax code with federal tax code. Tax conformity is a much more significant issue this year than in most years because of the scope and timing of the One Big Beautiful Bill. House Bill 559, which changes Idaho tax law to conform with federal tax law, passed the Idaho House and Senate last week.
I supported the conformity bill, even though it wasn’t exactly the timing I wanted, because of the advantages to the Idaho taxpayers.
If you aren’t familiar with The Ranch Podcast, it’s worth subscribing. Matt Todd has made it his mission to understand how and why Idaho is the way it is. Topics include, education, politics, law enforcement, natural resources, healthcare, agriculture and more. Visit the Ranch Podcast website here.
The Highway 95 corridor safety open house in Bonners Ferry was well attended and provided great public input. I will continue working with the Idaho Transportation Department and the Idaho State Patrol to improve safety and efficiency.
Prior to the meeting, we looked at some of the problem spots including the Dufort Road intersection, the Long Bridge intersection, and the Samuels to Bonners Ferry section of Highway 95.
Thank you to Tiffany Maas and Bruce Whittaker for all their time and effort working with ITD to have the open house.
Last week we had some contentious votes in the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee over further budget cuts. It is still my concern that we are telling agencies how much to cut, but we are not telling them what to cut.
I voiced my concern a few times during the hearing, which resulted in the Capital Sun Quote of the Week where I said, “It is time to acknowledge our growth in Idaho. We aren’t trying to grow government. We should however, maintain our qualify of life. If you are frustrated with traffic now, it is only going to get worse with the decisions we are making.”