2024 Idaho End-of-Session Update
Rep. Vito Barbieri via gmail.mcsv.net
Friends and Constituents of District 3 –
As we conclude yet another impactful legislative session, I’m honored to extend my heartfelt gratitude to every one of you for your unwavering support and dedication to the conservative principles that define our great state of Idaho. Throughout this session, I’ve remained steadfast in my commitment to protecting our God-given rights, reigning in the growth of government, and ensuring Idaho remains the beacon of opportunity and prosperity.
In the halls of the State Capitol, I’ve stood firm in defense of our cherished liberties and values, advocating for policies that uphold the sanctity of life, safeguard our Second Amendment rights, and promote fiscal responsibility. Although these are (obviously) huge issues, equally important are holding bureaucratic agencies accountable and strengthening legislative authority over the way they implement the law. As you are aware, it’s the agencies interacting with us that is really ‘where the rubber meets the road’!
It has been my privilege to champion legislation aimed at reducing government overreach, by sponsoring bills that somewhat narrow the extremely broad language concerning Temporary Rules. Additionally, the law now strengthens legislative oversight of material incorporated by reference in administrative rules, and, following on the heels of last year’s work, it requires the administrative rules coordinator to schedule review of those rules, and each agency must legitimize the reasoning and necessity of each rule chapter being reviewed.
In this newsletter, I am pleased to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the conservative victories we’ve achieved together this session. But make no mistake, there are forces in our body working just as hard to enhance state power at the expense of individual liberty. Our efforts in advancing measures to protect our individual freedoms, and pushing back against intrusive government mandates, are met by others in the legislature just as devoted to assuring that the state gets more of your tax dollars than ever before.
Frankly, I feel that the times are overtaking our ability to adequately address what’s no less than a direct attack on our culture. I’m sure you are aware. I hope and pray that we are not finding ourselves ‘arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic’. Now, as always, is the time to seek Christ, spend time in your bible, and prepare, in faith, for difficult times.
As we reflect on the accomplishments of this session, let us recommit ourselves to those timeless principles that have made Idaho our home. With your continued support and engagement, I am confident that we will overcome any challenge and continue to build upon the strong foundation of faith and conservatism that defines our beloved state.
Thank you for entrusting me with the privilege to serve as your voice in Boise. It is an honor that I do not take lightly, and I remain dedicated to advancing the conservative agenda that will secure a brighter future for District 3 and all of Idaho.
Seek Wisdom, Find Understanding.
In liberty and gratitude,
Representative Vito Barbieri
Idaho House of Representatives
Legislative District 3
HB 498 – Online Child Safety Act
– Co Sponsor –
This legislation establishes the Online Child Safety Act. Our kids are afflicted with a destructive pornography epidemic, and there are no real accountability measures that prevent online publishers from making it accessible to them. In keeping with Article III section 24 of the Idaho Constitution, which states that “The foremost concern of all good government is the virtue and sobriety of the people, and the purity of the home,” and whereas IdahoCode § 18-1515 already prohibits “disseminating material harmful to minors;” this legislation offers parents a recourse. Today’s internet environment thwarts the enforceability of the existing language.
This legislation empowers parents of harmed children withstanding to sue perpetrating content providers for a civil remedy if they fail to take reasonable steps to ensure they are not providing such content to minors.
HB 668 – Gender Transition Surgeries
– Co-Sponsor –
This legislation ensures taxpayer dollars are not used to provide medical treatment or surgeries for the purpose of changing the appearance of a person’s sex in a way that is not consistent with their biological sex.
What this bill does:
- Ensures expenditures are not tax deductible
- Idaho medicaid shall not reimburse or provide coverage for such expenditures
- Stipulates that physicians employed by tax-payer funded entities shall not provide such treatments or surgeries in the course and scope of their government service
- Stipulates that government facilities may not be used for the provision of such treatments or surgeries
These medical and surgical interventions can cause irreversible physical alterations, and some render the patient sterile or with lifelong sexual dysfunction, while others mutilate healthy body organs. This legislation also provides for exemptions for the funding of medically necessary uses of these drugs and procedures.
HB 521 – School Facilities & Tax Relief
This legislation provides investment in school facilities and income tax reductions.
First, it dedicates $125 million in ongoing sales tax revenue to the new School Modernization Facilities Fund for bonding, while providing the legislature with expanded options to cover annual service on the bonds in the event of economic downturns.
Second, this legislation increases the funding to the School District Facility Fund in two ways. It increases the sales tax revenue directed to the fund from 2.25% to 3.25% which is projected to be $25 million in FY 2025, and redirects existing lottery dividends to the fund, which is projected to be approximately $50 million in FY2025. This fund will help school districts with paying down school bonds, levies, and plant facility levies, with any remaining funds being used at the district level for additional school facility projects.
Third, this legislation reduces income taxes from 5.8% to 5.695%, allowing Idahoans to have more money to better support local bonds and levies related to school facilities. Additional changes and technical edits are made to related Code provisions.
Combined, this bill provides state support for school facility improvements in every school district in the state while ensuring appropriate accountability for the funds.
SB 1329 – Parents-Rights in Medicaid Decision-Making
– Co Sponsor –
The Parents’ Rights in Medical Decision-making Act ensures that children, who often lack maturity and make choices without considering either immediate or long-term consequences, are protected by the informed decision-making of their parents, who possess the most knowledge and are in the best position to ensure that their children receive adequate medical attention.
The rights secured by this Act flow out of the rights recognized by the Idaho Parental Rights Act, Idaho Code Ann. §§ 32-1010 through -1014, which are “rooted in the due process of law guaranteed pursuant to Section 13, Article I, of the constitution of the state of Idaho.”
This Act clarifies that consent for the furnishing of health care services to any person who is a non-emancipated minor must be given or refused by the parent of such person. The Act further declares that a parent has a right to access health information relating to the parent’s minor child. Finally, the Act is intended to supersede any current provisions of Idaho law that may otherwise conflict with the Act.
HB 687 – Kootenai Water Adjudication
This legislation starts the water adjudication process for the Kootenai River Basin in North Idaho. The Idaho Department of Water Resources will be the responsible state agency. There will be no new staff requirements. The IDWR staff assigned to the adjudication of the neighboring Pend Oreille Basin will remain for this project after completing their current work. This project will likely take 4-5 years and is supported by the water users of the basin. The Kootenai Basin is the last water basin in the state to address their water adjudication needs.
The estimated cost for the adjudication of water rights in the Kootenai River Basin is $3.25 million over a five-year period, plus funding for the negotiation of federal claims. It is estimated there will be 3,000 claims in the Kootenai River Basin Adjudication. The claim filing fees are anticipated to fund five to 10 percent of the cost of the Adjudication.
HB 666 – Sex Education Prohibition for Abortion Providers
This legislation prohibits any individual or organization, that is a provider of abortion, from furnishing any materials or instruction relating to sex education curricula.
HB 599 – Anti Ballot Harvesting
This legislation addresses the issue of “ballot harvesting” – which is the practice of third party individuals and groups, many of them political activists or political parties, “harvesting” absentee or mail ballots from voters and then delivering them to election officials for processing and counting. This legislation would generally prohibit this practice by limiting ballot handling to those authorized to do so pursuant to Idaho law.Idaho has not historically experienced ballot harvesting at scale. However, it has become a widespread practice in some other states, where its practice places many voters’ ballots, and the sanctity of their vote, into the hands of those who may have a partisan interest in the election’s outcome.
These individuals may have a political incentive to deliver certain ballots to the county clerk, but not others, based on the ballot harvester’s perception, or a social/political database’s report, of the likely choices of the voter. The specifics of this legislation are informed by the recommendations of the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, in their 2005 report, Building Confidence in U.S. Elections. This legislation would limit ballot handling to election officials, U.S. Mail and common carrier employees and contractors, family members, caregivers, members of the voter’s household, and anyone hired by the voter to convey the ballot.
Failed Legislation
This is legislation that was voted down and failed to pass into law. It’s a shame we couldn’t enact these policies and stand firm on our conservative values. We will continue to persevere and push for more conservative solutions for our community, constituents, and all Idahoans.
HB 753 – Illegal Immigration Penalties
This legislation prohibits
- Illegal entry into or illegal presence in this state by a person who is an alien
- The enforcement of those prohibitions and certain related orders, including immunity from liability and indemnification for enforcement actions
- Authorizes or requires under certain circumstances the removal of persons who violate those prohibitions creating criminal offenses
This legislation will require a fiscal year 2024 supplemental appropriation of $250,000 and a $1,000,000 fiscal year 2025, one time, appropriation to aid county governments with enforcement costs. There will be enforcement costs for law enforcement associated with this legislation, but those costs cannot be reliably predicted, because of the uncertain nature and extent of potential enforcement activities.
HB 568 – Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council
This legislation establishes an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advisory Council. The council includes six members: one House member, one Senate member, and then four AI experts/professionals. The Office of InformationTechnology Services will serve as a technical advisor to the council. Council members will be responsible for reviewing existing applications of AI in state government and identifying potential state-level AI policies for consideration by the legislature and the governor.
SB 1314 – Idaho to Invest in Gold & Silver
Since the year 2000, the M2 money supply has grown by 350 percent. In other words, it has more than quadrupled. A quadrupling of the money supply will eventually accelerate the rate of inflation.
By adding physical gold and silver to Idaho Code § 67-1210, the State Treasurer will be permitted to hold some portion of state funds in physical gold and silver to help secure state assets against the risk of inflation and financial turmoil and/or to achieve capital gains as measured in Federal Reserve Notes. The new authority will be confined to holding gold and silver directly and in a manner that does not assume the counter party risks involved with other current state holdings, such as corporate bonds, treasury bills, and other debt instruments. This measure does not empower the State Treasurer to invest in paper forms of the metal-like futures contracts, or other gold and silver derivatives.
The authority is confined to physical gold and silver, directly owned by the state and stored in a secure depository or any bank or credit union with a class 1 vault and licensed by the Department of Finance.
This will have no direct impact on the General Fund as it grants a permission for the Treasurer to invest state idle moneys in precious metals. There may be some increase to the General Fund as investments may lead to larger returns and serve as a stronger hedge against inflation. There will be no fiscal impact on local entities because this is strictly limited to the only state Treasurer.
Transparent Idaho
Throughout the 2024 Legislative Session, you can visit Transparent Idaho to stay up-to-date on how your public tax dollars are being spent.
Thanks to the Idaho State Controller’s Office, Idaho is leading the way in local government transparency. Transparent Idaho is a free to use website where you can see exactly how your tax dollars are being spent at the state, city, county, and local district level. This is the trusted source for your state and local financial data.
Plus, Transparent Idaho is also home to Townhall Idaho (https://townhall.idaho.gov/), an online platform that gives you the information on when and where the next public meeting will be. If you want to be more involved in how your government makes decisions with your tax dollars – visit Transparent Idaho (by clicking below) for the most up-to-date financial information, and to keep your government accountable.
