Editorial from Representative Heather Scott, District 2
April 1, 2024
The 2024 Idaho legislative session has finally come to an end! As a member of the Idaho Freedom Caucus (IDFC), I joined other IDFC members at the beginning of this legislative session in publicly pledging a commitment to you to protect the freedoms and liberties of all Idaho citizens.
It’s my honor to serve, and I am providing this Legislative Summary for you to see IDFC’s triumphs and challenges from the last three months while the Legislature was in session.
Idaho Freedom Caucus member goals and our sponsored bills to reach those goals.
Protect Constitutional Rights
- S1325 (Lenney): Anti-SLAPP law to protect free speech and make it easier for defendants to get defamation lawsuits dismissed-Failed on Senate Floor.
- SCR 116 (Carlson/Wisniewski): Ensures that students are taught civics in Western Civilization-Adopted.
- H464 (Wisniewski): Legislation related to border compacts for the governor to take action to secure the border-Held in Senate State Affairs Committee.
- S1374 (Herndon): Clarifies the lawful carry of firearms on public property-Law.
- H493 (Gallagher/Lenney): Stop mask mandates by government-Held in Senate State Affairs Committee.
- S1357 (Herndon/Price/Lenney): Protect constitutional rights (equal protection) by stopping diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Idaho’s institutions of higher education-Held in Senate State Affairs and replaced with a do-nothing bill.
- HJM11 (Hawkins/Zuiderveld): A resolution requesting that the issues of the invasion of illegal aliens be addressed by the federal government and calling for the impeachment of President Joe Biden-Died on House Floor.
Fiscal Responsibility, Transparency, and Accountability
- H0417 (Scott/Herndon): Requires state agencies to accept cash payments without additional fees-Law H0456 (Scott/Herndon) Enforce transparency requirements for state agencies when reporting agreements-Law.
- H0572 (Lenney/Hawkins): Prohibit local governments from establishing guaranteed income programs-Law.
- H0618 (Scott/Herndon): Expands the prohibition against electioneering by the government on tax-related communications-Law.
- S1232 (Herndon/Scott): Requires CPS to notify parents or caregivers of their rights upon first encounter-Law.
- S1235 (Herndon): Reduces terms of library district trustees from 6 to 4 years- Law.
- H470 (Alfieri): Creates a department within the Attorney General’s office to handle election crimes and security-Failed on House Floor.
- H585 (Price): Bans Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and prevents the government from imposing regulations on digital assets and digital mining-Died on House Floor.
- S1296 (Herndon): Digital Ledger Technology protections for digital currency and Bitcoin-Died on Senate Floor.
- S1216 (Herndon): Revoking and Canceling Driver licenses, including for illegal aliens-Law.
Restoring Quality Education
- H0602 (Hawkins): Prohibits the use of public funds for teachers’ unions-Failed on House Floor.
- S1361 (Carlson): Requires public testimony during school board meetings-Law.
- HJR1 (Price/Lenney): Repeal of the Blaine Amendment to help all schools-Held in House Education Commitee.
- SJR105 (Herndon): A constitutional amendment to protect the rights of parents to homeschool their children and be free from government regulations-Died on Senate Floor.
Supporting and Protecting Families and Children
- S1351 (Carlson): Legislation related to the examination of Public Health Records-Held in House Health & Welfare Committee.
- S1317 (Nichols): Legislation regarding Gadson License Plate/firearm safety for children-Law.
- H0597 (Gallagher/Zuiderveld): Immunization exemptions for students-Law.
- H0599 (Alfieri/Gallagher): Criminalize ballot harvesting-Law.
- S1305 (Nichols/Gallagher): Legislation related to urban agriculture-Law.
- H0498 (Price): Requires age verification for websites with harmful content to minors-Law
Other good bills that public/private Idaho Freedom Caucus Members sponsored, co-sponsored, or supported.
Morality, Wokeness, and Social Issues
- H0668: Prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for genital mutilation surgeries-Law.
- H421: Creates clear definitions of male, female, and related terms and clarifies that gender and sex are synonyms-Law.
- H538: Protecst the right of students and government employees to decline to use someone’s preferred pronouns. It would also prohibit schools from using fictional names or biologically incorrect pronouns without parental consent-Law.
- H710: The Children’s School and Library Protection Act requires public schools and community libraries to take reasonable steps in restricting children’s access to obscene or harmful material-Law.
Protection of Rights and Religious Freedoms
- H578: Prohibits religious discrimination by the state against adoption agencies or adoptive parents-Law.
- H666: Prohibits abortion providers from supplying any materials or instruction relating to sex education curricula in public schools-Law.
- S1329: Protects parents’ right to make health care decisions for their children and guarantees their access to their children’s medical records-Law.
- S1275: Protects employers from civil liability for allowing their employees to carry concealed weapons-Law.
Changes to Employment and Public Health Programs
- H617: Repeals the Syringe and Needle Exchange Program in Idaho-Law.
- S1352: Recognizes that counselors and therapists have the right not to provide counseling that conflicts with their religious, moral, or ethical principles-Law.
- H686: Clarifies requirements for unemployment recipients to look for work-Law.
- H620: Prevents cities and counties from regulating the possession, sale, transfer, or manufacture of knives more strictly than Idaho code-Law.
Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement and Immigration
- H753: Prohibits illegal aliens from being present in Idaho (with certain exceptions) and allows enforcement of this law-Held in Senate.
- H494: Reorganizes Idaho laws that criminalize human trafficking and sex work, imposes penalties-Law.
- H406: Imposes harsher minimum sentences for possessing fentanyl, including small amounts of substances containing only trace amounts of fentanyl-Law.
Elections, Taxes, and Finance Policies
- S1314: Allows investment of idle state funds in gold and silver-Governor Vetoed.
- H521: Income tax relief and elimination of August levy and bond election date-Law.
- HJR004: Amends Idaho Constitution to protect election system-Failed on House Floor.
Other legislation you should know about.
- There were many pieces of legislation to address the foster care system and adoption. The following bills all became law: H578, S1308, S1280, S1368, S1309.
- Bayer/Monsanto attempted an immunity bill to protect themselves from medical lawsuits for damage related to their products. This bill came before the body three times! Fortunately, these bills failed, but don’t be surprised when they resurface next year (H653, S1432, S1245).
- Bills addressing artificial intelligence (AI) were a first this year (the state is using the term synthetic media instead of AI). Two bills set up crimes for generating AI audio and videos of other people without disclosure during election season, and an AI bill on child pornography. If you use any AI, you should check out bills H664 and H575.
- The Idaho Terrorist Control Act would have defined domestic terrorism and redefined terrorism. It would have prevented an Idahoan from being labeled a domestic terrorist or terrorist in Idaho without constitutionally protected due process. Unfortunately, this bill was killed in committee (S1220/H623).
- The Senate State Affairs Committee also held a bill (H415) allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons to protect their schools.
All bills and their status can be viewed at this link: https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/
A couple of things to note about the success, failure, and trends in the Idaho Legislature.
- The Legislature passed over 100 appropriation bills for a total budget of $13.8 billion!
- The Senate State Affairs Committee Chair and the House Education Committee Chair held many good conservative bills. The House Education Committee prevented many conservative education reforms from becoming law.
- Liberal Republicans (the Main Street Caucus) regularly team with the Democrats to kill conservative bills on the House and Senate Floors. We are hoping (with your support of the Idaho Freedom Caucus) that the number of center-left liberal Republicans will decrease after the May 21st Primary Election.
- A new process has been set up to deal with budget bills, which will help separate government wants from needs and allow for more transparency when reviewing budgets. In its first year of implementation, this process has already helped conservatives kill 3 to 4 bad budget bills, remove an expanded welfare program from a bill, and stop an out-of-control agency from making million-dollar decisions without oversight. We look forward to expanding these wins and many more in the next session.
- While the focus of this update has been mostly positive, many bad bills have been passed into law, increasing regulatory measures, growing government, and infringing on rights. Idaho is not as conservative as you may think or hope, and until more conservative legislators are elected, we will continue not to have the votes to stop bad bills.
A Note from Heather Scott:
As the House Chair of the Idaho Freedom Caucus, I couldn’t be more proud of the tireless efforts of this legislative team. Truly, this group of legislators is the best I’ve worked with in my time as a public servant.
I’m personally asking for you to show them that you’re in support of their diligent efforts.
Please donate $25, $50, $100, or $500 to the Idaho Freedom Caucus PAC today. The election is right around the corner and every dollar we raise will go directly to re-electing the good folks on this team!
I encourage you to stay engaged throughout the summer and fall. Consider hosting a local event or a BBQ and inviting local elected officials and candidates. The more you interact with them, the better you can help them. Idaho Freedom Caucus members are willing to show up and share our vision for Idaho or discuss legislative ideas. And don’t forget to show up for local and regional government meetings to keep an eye on what is going on.
We are eager to continue to make Idaho great again, but we can’t do it without your participation!
In Liberty,
Rep. Heather Scott, Co-Chair
Member of Idaho Freedom Caucus
