Jim Guthrie — The chair recognized Representative Hawkins to respond.
Jim Guthrie — The chair recognized the next question and the speaker addressed Representative Haas.
Jim Guthrie — The chair continued to manage the questioning.
Jim Guthrie — The chair continued to manage the questioning.
Jim Guthrie — Was addressed as Mr. Chairman.
Dale Hawkins, Representative of District 2 — Introduced himself and identified his district and counties represented.
James Ruchti — A question was raised by Representative Church, who is likely the speaker here based on the expected member list; the transcript labels her as 'Representative Church.'
Monica Church — Representative Monica Church asked about the proposal, noting prior discussions and expressing support for removing the existing language while questioning why the amendment adds affirmative 'right of the people' language instead of simply deleting the provision. The exchange then continued with a response directed back to her question.
Monica Church — Herndon referenced her prior comments about the amendment not affecting the state's power to compel education.
Monica Church — The chair recognizes Representative Church for comment on the motion.
Monica Church — Said she had a hard time with the language and would support removing the compulsory-attendance language and taking that question to voters.
Monica Church — Said she could not in good faith support moving the measure on because of litigation concerns, though she supported some alternative language.
Monica Church — Was recorded as voting no on the motion.
Monica Church — Commented that Boise incurred significant costs when it moved to the 100,000 threshold.
Monica Church — Asked whether the city’s districting experience had worked out well and whether it improved representation.
Monica Church — Raised a question about whether the bill is still optional because of the word 'may'.
Monica Church — Argued that the bill appears to remain optional because the word 'may' remains in the statute.
Monica Church — Part of the exchange over whether the bill is optional.
Monica Church — Representative Church expressed support for House Bill 720, arguing that smaller communities should have the ability to vote for candidates who better reflect their beliefs and politics. He emphasized the importance of neighborhood representation and flexibility for smaller communities.
Lori Hartog — The transcript repeatedly refers to 'Representative Haas,' which is likely a transcription error for Representative Lori Hartog. Across this short span, the same uncertain name appears multiple times without any change in topic, indicating a single continuous moment of repeated reference to the same member.
Erin Bingham — Representative Erin Bingham questioned how the proposed constitutional amendment would affect regulation of public and charter schools, whether it would change requirements for public funding, and whether government could still regulate education when public dollars are involved. She followed up by emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability for public funds, while others responded by clarifying that the amendment language applies to education outside the public schools.
Erin Bingham — Asked whether redistricting would create costs for city clerks or cities.
Joe Palmer — Joe Palmer addressed questions about how the proposed language would affect regulations tied to funding and the public school system. He said the proposal would not intrude on the public school agreement or change anything inside the public school system, emphasized that the full statement is needed for clarity about rights outside that system, and repeatedly noted that questions about funding regulations were legal matters he could not answer definitively.
Joe Palmer — Confirmed that the Association of Idaho Cities was in opposition to the earlier legislation.
Ben Toews — Was addressed by Representative Hawkins in response to the question about funding-related regulations.
Ben Toews — The transcript says 'Representative Haas,' but the expected member list does not include Haas; this likely refers to a different member, so no ID is assigned here.
Joel Fisher — Introduced himself as policy director at Idaho Family Policy Center and testified in support of H.J.R. 9.
Scott Herndon — Scott Herndon was called as a virtual witness and then delivered testimony in support of the constitutional amendment. He identified himself as speaking on his own behalf and as chair of the Idaho Republican Party Resolutions Committee, noting that the Republican Party had passed a resolution in January supporting the amendment. He concluded by urging the committee to support the constitutional amendment.
Anne Haws — Was recorded as voting no on the motion.
Joe Alfieri — Representative Joe Alfieri introduced House Bill 720, describing it as a simple bill that would lower the population threshold for district-wide city council elections from 100,000 to 25,000. He then answered questions about how district boundaries change with the census and must remain contiguous, identified the cities affected by the proposal, and said he had not contacted every city directly but had heard concerns from some council members. In response to questions about fiscal impact, he explained that redistricting costs are already part of city election administration. The discussion also included a later comment praising his effort to increase local representation.
Joe Alfieri — Representative Alfieri defended the bill by explaining that it gives cities flexibility in council size, can lower campaign costs, and improve direct representation for residents. He addressed concerns about balancing district populations by noting that districts are apportioned by precincts and can be readjusted over time as cities grow. He emphasized that the legislation is forward-looking, citing population growth and explaining that voters would elect only the representative for their own district, which is the core purpose of the bill.
Joe Alfieri — Representative Alfieri supported House Bill 736 and commented on evidence that candidates listed first tend to receive more votes, noting that this ballot-order effect is against his own interest because his last name begins with A.
Brandon Shippy — Representatives Crane and Scott both asked clarifying questions about the bill’s geographic impact: Crane asked how often district boundaries are changed, and Scott requested a list of the cities affected by the ten districts for reference.
Mark Harris — Asked whether affected cities were contacted and what their responses were.
Mark Harris — Pointed to statutory language stating the city shall establish council district territory.
Mark Harris — Made a comment on the motion after the voting question was answered.
Brent Crane — Asked a follow-up question about whether the city’s experience with districting had worked out well.
Brent Crane — Referenced as the chair asking the question.
Brent Crane — Welcomed the witness to the committee.
Brent Crane — Addressed by the witness during questioning.
Brent Crane — Addressed in the exchange with the witness.
Brent Crane — Addressed the witness during the exchange.
Brent Crane — Addressed the witness in closing the exchange.
Brent Crane — Asked whether the Association of Idaho Cities had opposed the earlier 100,000 threshold legislation.
Brent Crane — Closed the witness questioning and opened public testimony.
Brent Crane — Thanked by the witness at the start of testimony.
Jonathan Wheatley — Jonathan Wheatley, deputy director of the Association of Idaho Cities, testified in opposition to House Bill 720. He argued that the bill’s 25,000 threshold would create very small districts, especially in places like college towns, and noted that dividing a city of 25,000 into six districts would leave groups of fewer than 5,000 people. He added that some districts have had elections where no one would run, and clarified that he had spoken specifically with Moscow, which shared those concerns and stories.
Judy Boyle — Representative Scott asked whether the witness had spoken directly with the affected cities, specifically the ten cities that would be impacted, and followed up by questioning why all of the other affected cities were not interviewed as well.