A lot happened this week. HB 71 and 314, SJR 101, and the Ada County Commission’s vote – let’s dig in.
HB71
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news this week. HB 71 has passed, and is now awaiting the governor’s signature to become law.
This bill criminalizes all kinds of care for trans youth in Idaho. It is a bill built on lies about surgery, lies about studies on long-term effects, and lies about gender in general.
It is a thinly veiled attack on the trans community, who have fewer and fewer places in the United States to be accepted and safe. Idaho has picked a side in this battle, and we have chosen to be hateful, ignorant, and cruel.
Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. I am transgender.
I just have one thing to ask of anyone who isn’t ok with sitting on the same side as the Idaho Legislature – contact the governor’s officeand ask him to veto this bill. Sign up for a door knock or phone bank.
Start working today so that these bills don’t have the chance to get worse down the road.
SJR 101
This week, the constitutional amendment that would have restricted our ballot initiative rights failed to pass a 2/3rds majority vote in the House, killing the bill for the year.
This amendment would have made it virtually impossible even for enormous organizations capable of incredible efforts like Reclaim Idaho to pass the initiative requirements.
We now have another year to put initiatives forward to the people before the legislature inevitably tries again.
Attacks on Libraries – in Ada County
The attack on libraries continued this week at the county and state levels. The Ada County Commission voted Wednesday morning to deny an election to dissolve the Meridian Library District. The commissioners stated that the huge amount of public support was instrumental in their decision. Two long nights of testimony and over 1000 emails in support of the library district (versus 55 opposed) made it clear that voters in Meridian love their library.
Only a handful of people were in favor of the petition, and the Ada County Commission noted that even they didn’t want to get rid of the libraries- even though they were the ones to suggest it in the first place.
Thankfully, the Ada County Commissioners voted unanimously to deny this petition.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK! If you testified, or stood in the crowd at the courthouse cheering for the libraries, or did any other work to help this effort, thank you. The testimony in particular was very effective, and I believe it is the reason we’ve saved the Library District this week.
But the Meridian Library district is still under threat from far-right book banning candidates.
We need your help to re-electing Destinie Hart to the Meridian Library Board, and making sure that the so-called “Concerned Citizens” don’t get any more chances to ruin our community libraries.
Attack on Libraries – in the Idaho Statehouse
The Idaho State Senate had three separate bills scheduled Thursday that would’ve severely limited the ability of schools and libraries to continue to serve children. In fact, one library director testified that if the bills passed, they would revoke the library card of every user under the age of 18 and only allow them in the library with an adult present.
Even though Senate Bills 1187 and 1188 were not heard, House Bill 314, which is the most extreme and harmful of these bills, passed the Senate 26-9 in spite of impassioned testimony from our Democratic Senators.
Among other requirements, it establishes $2,500 in statutory damages if a child receives anything considered “harmful to minors” from a public library or school. There is no definition of what would be “harmful”, but it includes any picture, video, drawing, sculpture or video that depicts nudity.
In essence, it establishes bounties for anyone who has a vendetta against a library or school. Read the full bill HERE
Please contact Governor Little and ask him to veto SB1187 and SB1188.
DEMOCRATIC EVENTS IN ADA COUNTY
Capitol Tour with District 15 Legislators
April 8th – 10:00 AM
Idaho Capital Building 1st Floor Rotunda
District 10 Dinner Huddle
April 10th – 6:00 PM
Casa Mexico, 517 S Middleton Rd, Middleton
Speakers – Senator Melissa Wintrow and Library Board Candidate Mary Anne Saunders
RSVP HERE!
Capitol Tour with District 18 Legislators
April 15th – 10:30 AM
Idaho Capital Building 1st Floor Rotunda
Thank you for supporting local Democrats,
Lily Pannkuk,
Field Director
Ada County Democrats