I feel blessed to live and work in Idaho, with clean and abundant water, vast natural resources, and friendly and safe communities. Our hard-working folks in District 5 contribute to a healthy Idaho. I’ve focused my efforts on resolving challenges that impact Latah and Benewah counties, while being a strong advocate for making sure the rural voice is heard in Boise. Our campaign focuses on these three issues of great importance that affect those citizens: building a stronger education system; creating business opportunities; ensuring responsible government.
IDAHO BORN, IDAHO EXPERIENCE, IDAHO RESULTS
Serving you in the Idaho Legislature has been an honor of a lifetime. Freshmen legislators are often encouraged to be seen and not heard. But, going along to get along is just not my style. I’m very proud of my accomplishments during my first term in office. Bills I sponsored on behalf of citizens in Latah and Benewah counties:
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HB 456 - Clarifies rules for Idaho growers and winemakers, and for grapes and juice purchased from outside of the state.
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HB 472 - Allowing commercial vehicles to keep their plate numbers at license renewal, saving truck owners from spending hours updating permits tied to plate numbers such as oversize, interstate, fuel, etc.
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HB 478 - Protecting privacy and sensitive tax information of citizens who own NFA regulated items from Public Records requests.
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HB 515 - Ensures that performance evaluations are completed before teacher contracts are issued each year.
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HB 521 - “Medical Amnesty” in support of the Associated Students of the University of Idaho, and working with ASUI student lobbyist Nate Fisher. The bill gives limited immunity to Minors in Possession or Consumption of alcohol who call for emergency medical help for themselves or a friend.
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HB 614 - Replacing property tax dollars lost to county government when tribal properties were exempted by the state. Most of the counties impacted are small, such as Benewah County, and cannot sustain this loss of revenue. (I will continue to work toward a solution.)
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HCR 16 - Recognizing the 100-Year Anniversary of Benewah County.
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HJM 11 - Affirming Idaho’s sovereignty over our water, and our opposition to removing dams on the Snake River, which would take critical transportation options away from our local farmers and businesses. This resolution was opposed by my Democratic seatmate, who voted against it.
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HCR 32 - Recognizing the "International Year of the Pulse" and the Idaho pea, lentil, bean and chickpea industry. Pulse crops are grown on 200,000 acres in Idaho, mostly on the Palouse.
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HCR 41 - Recognizing the 125th anniversary of the Idaho Seal, the only state seal designed by a woman.
Selected Examples of Legislation as a Floor Sponsor, Co-sponsored or Supporter:
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HB 246 - Co-sponsor of a bill giving schools new tools to identify and resolve incidents of bullying before they get out of hand.
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HB 154 - Co-sponsor of a bill protecting women from the dangerous practice of “telemedicine abortion,” where drugs are prescribed over the phone without a physician personally assessing their physical and emotional health.
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Voted for the new “Career Ladder” that increases teachers’ salaries based on clear expectations and outcomes, helping to keep teachers and strengthen education in Idaho.
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Voted for a historic investment in our state and local highway system. Better roads help our businesses, farmers and ranchers get to the global market, builds our local economy and drastically reduce accidents and fatalities on the roads. My “yes” vote helped secure over $12 million in road projects for our district.
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On behalf of the University of Idaho: HB Transferring funds currently going to the University of Idaho Caine Center in Caldwell to the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department at the UI. (Whose faculty already do this research). HB 1285 establishing a restricted professional license for PhD faculty teaching upper division engineering courses.
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Supported legislation establishing a license plate for the Orofino Maniacs. You may not know this, but I'm a proud Class of 1979 OHS graduate. The mascot is unique in the US, having been recognized by ESPN and USA Today.
Terms
HB = House Bill
SB = Senate Bill - Legislation that becomes law if approved by both House and Senate, then signed by the Governor.
HCR = House Concurrent Resolution
SCR = Senate Concurrent Resolution– An adoption of a motion, the subject matter of which would not properly constitute a statute.
HJM = House Joint Memorial
SJM = Senate Joint Memorial – A petition or representation made by the House and concurred by the Senate, or visa versa, addressed to whoever can effectuate the request of the memorial.