| Senator
Nuxoll's weekly newsletter
End of 2016 session letter:  and
the Resource Committee. Thank you so much for letting me be of service
to you, our beloved state of Idaho, and the country. Most of
you participated by emailing me your opinion and information on how legislation
affects your daily lives. There were a few who also read rules
and bills for me so that I could make good judgments based on their summaries.
Several constituents also testified in committees in support of legislation.
Many contacted me to just give support. My citizens may be
rural, but they are educated, insightful, hard working, and the best!
These are the bills that I sponsored: SB 1338, public forest abatement, allows counties in Idaho to declare a catastrophic public nuisance with federal land management agencies when the condition of federally managed land presents a danger of catastrophic wildfire, polluted drinking water, and threatens the health, safety and welfare of the citizens. It expedites bringing the relevant entities to the table to discuss and plan abatement of catastrophic wildfires on federal lands. HB 516, Ultrasound Bill, provides that, if a woman is to have any real choice regarding abortion, she must be allowed to have access to all scientific facts about her unborn child and to all medical facts about her condition. This bill requires that all abortion facilities provide a list to each woman of free ultrasounds provided by pregnancy centers before consultation and any fees are collected by abortion providers. SB 1386, Dismemberment Bill, stops a common and brutal type of Dilation & Extraction abortion which can involve dismembering a living, fully formed unborn child. D&E's are late-term abortions and are often the abortion used by Planned Parenthood—sometimes for the purpose of harvesting the unborn baby’s organs. The D&E procedures account for 96% of all second trimester abortions. The Attorney General’s opinion stopped this bill from advancing. SB 1342, the use of the Bible in Public Schools, is legislation to relieve any fear or anxiety or confusion for students, teachers, and parents who desire to use the Bible for reference purposes in public schools by codifying in law a practice already allowed. No one is required to use religious texts, nor is anyone allowed to use any religious text for doctrinal or religious purposes. These are the bills that I cosponsored: H582, the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act, sets up the framework that public lands would be managed for multiple uses, including timber harvest, mining, grazing, recreation, and other compatible uses, if Idaho ever receives land from the federal government. This bill does not ask for the federal government to turn over management of the lands to the state. It would not require the state to maximize revenues as we do on state endowment lands. It also protects any currently existing property rights which exist on federally administered lands such as grazing preference rights and mineral rights, which are already recognized in Idaho Code. This bill was not heard in the Senate. S1404, Unborn Infants Dignity Act, seeks to protect the dignity of preborn children in abortion by making illegal to harvest their organs and tissue for any purpose, including experimentation. Organs and tissue of preborn children may be donated in cases other than abortion with proper informed consent. The bill strengthens ethical standards for proper medical research. The legislation also makes it clear that mothers have a right for respectful disposition of her baby's remains. SB 1389, Concealed Carry, would allow a law-abiding individual, who is a resident of Idaho and 21 years of age or older, to lawfully carry a concealed handgun for self-defense without needing to first obtain a government-issued permit. It solves the problem of driving through cities without having to have a permit. It does not grant reciprocity in other States to carry a concealed weapon, so, under this law, Idaho’s existing permitting process is left fully intact. If you do choose to carry a conceal weapon without a conceal carry permit, there are federal regulations to be aware of such as not being allowed within 1,000 feet of a school zone with a weapon. The Governor has signed this bill. BUDGETS: The big push in budgets was for schools. State School Budgets for k-12 were increased by 7.4%. General fund funding for K-12 is 11.7% above the 2009 appropriation, and operating expense is back to the 2009 amount. Colleges and universities received an increase of 8%. Although we did not give what the governor wanted, this is a sizable increase to education. Medicaid increased $100 million over 2016 due to Obamacare and the Exchange, but “real expansion” was delayed a year. Hope for change next year: Tax Relief: Due to disagreements over taxing and the budget, the tax relief sought and promised did not appear on the horizon, and there seems to be an unfounded scare for the elimination of the sales tax on groceries. School Choice: Unfortunately, school choice has been left on the back burner for now with no passage of HJR1. Tax Code: HB 425 conformed the state tax code to Federal tax code allowing same sex marriages on the same par as traditional marriage for tax purposes. Chiropractors: HB 593, tremendously lost out again this session with no opportunity to set their scope of practice. Foreign Law: Although most Idahoans believe that we should have American law in Idaho courts, not foreign law, HB568 was sidetracked in the House. Veto Bill: SJR 101 amends the State Constitution to allow the legislature to reconvene in a special session to consider bills vetoed by the Governor following the adjournment of the regular session. HJR 5 proposes an amendment to Section III of the Constitution of the State of Idaho which empowers the legislature to approve or reject administrative rules to make sure it is consistent with legislative intent and not subject to gubernatorial approval. Idaho has this in statute but not in the state constitution. Very few state legislatures have this power to protect us from agencies and expansion of executive power, keeping the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. Please vote for this amendment in the upcoming election. Hope is enkindled when little changes make a big difference. Ronald Reagan once said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”. There is also Hope when we celebrate our new national day of the cowboy (HCR38) this July 23rd. Senator Sheryl Nuxoll |
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