Ms. Hamilton — Said she has not spoken with Idaho local policymakers but has reviewed zoning ordinances and found some localities have enabled more housing supply.
Ms. Hamilton — Said she had not been involved in Hill discussions but had seen proposals led by Senator Lee.
Ms. Hamilton — Her testimony is being concluded and she is asked for closing thoughts.
Ms. Hamilton — Her testimony is being closed out.
Steve Berch — Representative Birch is discussed in the context of supporting older neighborhood, smaller-lot development. He follows up on the chair’s question, reiterating support for smaller lots and raising broader concerns about housing markets and private hedge funds becoming more national than local. A later reference notes that Birch had suggested following up on the issue.
Elaine Price — Representative Price asked a series of related questions about Idaho housing and growth: first, who homes are for in light of declining birth rates and population concerns; second, whether there is polling on whether Idaho buyers want to rent or buy, expressing interest in single-family homes; and third, whether local governments in Idaho have zoning problems related to the housing issues being discussed.
Lucas Cayler — Asked about reclaiming federally controlled land in Western states for private ownership or development.
Mrs. Hamilton — Addressed by Representative Cayler in a question about federal land and land use.
Mr. Cargill / Chris Cargill — Is invited to testify next and asked to introduce himself and whom he represents.
Chris Cargill — Chris Cargill of the Mountain States Policy Center introduced himself and explained that he would present polling numbers and research on housing, noting that the Idaho Poll is an annual survey and that housing was one of this year’s topics.
Chris Cargill — Cargill begins answering the question, arguing the issue is partly educational and tied to misunderstandings about rent control.
Madeline Clark / Maddie Clark — Introduced as a policy director/policy analyst for Mountain States Policy Center, though the transcript contains a name inconsistency.
Maddie Clark — Identified herself as senior policy analyst at Mountain States Policy Center and introduced updated housing research.
Mr. Cargill — The question references Mr. Cargill as a possible respondent on polling and housing expectations.
Mr. Wheatley — Mr. Wheatley, speaking on behalf of AIC, said he had not prepared remarks but offered brief comments on building permit approval. He noted that Idaho already approves more building permits per capita than any other state, cautioned against blanket approval without reasonable review, and emphasized the need to balance approval timelines with safety concerns. He also referenced statistics previously shared by Kelly Packard and thanked the committee for the opportunity to speak.
Barbara Ehardt — The speaker addressed Chairman Ehart and asked for permission to introduce a policy director; the Chair granted the request, continuing the same brief exchange.
Barbara Ehardt — Barbara Ehardt is addressed as chair while participants ask if there are any questions and then begin addressing the committee, including a question about government control of housing costs.
Ms. Hamilton — Explained that smaller lots and typical single-family financing can make housing easier to build and finance.
Ms. Hamilton — Her prior comments were being followed up on by Representative Birch.
Ms. Hamilton — Responded that research suggests the post-2020 price run-up was affected by COVID-related conditions and the federal response.
Ms. Hamilton — Addressed by Representative Price's question.
Ms. Hamilton — Said declining birth rates matter in the long run, but Idaho and similar places still face serious undersupply in the short and medium term.
Ms. Hamilton — Said she has not seen Idaho-specific polling, but surveys show many people prefer single-family homes while making tradeoffs for commute and budget.
Emily Hamilton — Emily Hamilton is called forward as a witness, thanks the chairman and committee for having her, and introduces herself as an economist and senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, with her remarks focused on housing supply and affordability.
Emily Hamilton — Ms. Hamilton answers that current single-stair buildings are limited to three stories and states are considering four to eight stories.
Richard Cheatum — Representative Cheatum asks how many stories are contemplated for single-stair apartment buildings.
Barbara Ehardt — The chair raises concerns about institutional investors buying homes and asks how that affects housing markets.
Barbara Ehardt — Barbara Ehardt questioned whether there were efforts underway to reclaim federal land, noting that private land in the Treasure Valley is increasingly expensive and that this is reducing agricultural land. She then continued the discussion by challenging the common explanation that housing costs are driven simply by a lack of housing, pointing to the apparent contradiction of visible multi-family housing and vacancies in Southeast Idaho and describing it as an anomaly in what the region is facing.