Heather Scott — Introduced RS 3-2866 and explained it would remove Title 67, Chapter 72 from code.
Heather Scott — Explained the bill would remove the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs from code and cited government bloat concerns.
Heather Scott — Answered that the agency would end, with a transition period until July 1st.
Heather Scott — Said a Hispanic nonprofit foundation in the Boise area could absorb the overlap and noted its $1.6 million budget.
Heather Scott — Clarified the organizations are based in the Boise area and identified the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Idaho Hispanic Foundation.
Heather Scott — Voted yes in the roll call.
Heather Scott — Presented RS 3-2921 and said it would remove Idaho from the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Cooperation Agreement.
Heather Scott — Argued the agreement costs Idaho $60,000 annually and does not align with Idaho's goals.
Heather Scott — Continued criticism of the agreement, saying it should be private-sector work and that it promotes misaligned agendas.
Heather Scott — Listed policies and corporations she said were driving the agreement's agenda.
Heather Scott — Asked for introduction of the bill and said legislators could join the organization on their own if they wanted.
Heather Scott — Said she wanted to make sure she had presented the correct bill and asked whether the committee was on the Hispanic Commission item or RS 2-1.
Heather Scott — Said the group meets like ALEC, holds conferences across the country, and legislators are paid to attend.
Heather Scott — Said she would bring back information on how often the group meets.
Heather Scott — Said there is no clear economic benefit to Idaho.
Heather Scott — Prepared to answer the cross-border question.
Heather Scott — Listed the jurisdictions involved, including Canada, U.S. states, and Canadian provinces/territories.
Heather Scott — Explained that the agreement places Idaho into a cooperative structure that legislators could pursue on their own.
Heather Scott — Compared the regional agreement to ALEC and argued against using taxpayer dollars for private groups.
Heather Scott — Argued that Idaho is outnumbered in the regional group and that policies are being pushed back onto the state.
Heather Scott — Was the sponsor of the RS being moved for introduction.
Heather Scott — Introduced RS 32922 to remove Idaho from the Legislative Fisheries Council / Pacific Fisheries Legislative Task Force.
Heather Scott — Described RS 32922 as removing Idaho from a fisheries-related regional organization and argued against taxpayer-funded participation.
Heather Scott — Argued the organization should be removed from Idaho code because it uses taxpayer dollars for legislative participation.
Heather Scott — Said the code should be removed and noted the organization is described as a clearinghouse for opinions.
Heather Scott — Explained that the task force works on salmon, fisheries, and marine issues and coordinates with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Heather Scott — Said the task force is connected to a larger NGO and referenced the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Heather Scott — Said Idaho's participation appears to be folded into meetings already held in Idaho rather than separate meetings.
Heather Scott — Was criticized for the view that the group is lobbying Idaho indirectly.
Heather Scott — Warned against removing Idaho from the group before understanding where the state's voice is and whether it has room to act.
Bruce Skaug — Called on to ask a question.
Bruce Skaug — Asked whether the proposal would immediately end the agency.
Bruce Skaug — Voted no in the roll call.
Bruce Skaug — Was next in line to speak after Representative Mickelsen.
Bruce Skaug — Was referenced as the next questioner in the sequence.
Bruce Skaug — Moved to introduce RS 32921.
Joe Alfieri — Joe Alfieri moved to introduce RS 3-2866, later voted yes on the roll call, and then reiterated his support for introducing the resolution, saying the committee needed to dig into the issue further and obtain more detail before deciding whether to remove itself from the matter.
Joe Alfieri — Moved to introduce RS 32922 after noting there was still a lot of concern and discussion needed.
Brent Crane — Representative Brent Crane was called during the roll call and responded 'Yes' as part of the vote.
Brent Crane — Brent Crane said he would support the motion and explained that ALEC stands for the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group of legislators from across the country who exchange ideas on legislation. He also said he was not familiar with PNWER and wanted to learn more about it.
Brent Crane — Chairman Crane is referenced in a question directed to Representative Price, with both mentions simply identifying him as the chair in the same exchange.
Joe Palmer — Voted yes in the roll call.
Joe Palmer — The chair continues the motion to introduce RS 32951 and opens discussion.
James Holtzclaw — Voted yes in the roll call.
Judy Boyle — Voted yes in the roll call.
Judy Boyle — Representative Boyle questioned which NGO the group is connected with and then argued that Idaho needs a voice on water issues even if it costs money. The discussion continued with references to her concerns about the group’s membership, policy influence, and the risk that Idaho would lose its voice if grouped with other states, along with related concerns about dams and water policy.
Judy Boyle — Representative Price introduces RS 32951 and asks that it be introduced, then opens the floor for questions. In response, she explains her view that the Blaine Amendment discriminates against Christians and conflicts with the U.S. Constitution, citing court cases including one in Idaho that upheld the Establishment Clause over the Blaine Amendment. She further clarifies that the issue is Christians being denied something allowed to a non-Christian entity, and the exchange concludes with thanks for bringing the resolution.
Shawn Dygert — Voted no in the roll call.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Stephanie Mickelsen was involved in a brief exchange about a cooperative group agreement, asking whether the main concern was the $60,000 cost or the fact that the arrangement would place legislators into an agreement with regional partners. The discussion centered on whether the group could remain involved without spending the money, and the response indicated that the proposal would still put the state into an agreement.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Representative Scott addresses Representative Mickelsen while clarifying that only mandatory participation would be removed.