The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI) bills itself as the Gem State’s “most effective business lobby”. Founded in 1974, IACI was formed from successive mergers of the Idaho State Chamber, the Associated Industries of Idaho, the Idaho Potato Processors, and the Idaho Safety Council.
According to its website, IACI “represents about 300 Idaho employers of all sizes in such diverse fields as agriculture and food service, technology, accounting firms and banks, utilities, manufacturing and construction, as well as chambers of commerce from Idaho’s large and small cities and associations representing a wide variety of interests in this quest to shape policy for a bright economic future.”
As a lobbying organization, IACI urges legislators to vote certain ways on bills that impact the business community in various ways. Its PAC, the Idaho Prosperity Fund, supports or opposes legislators and candidates in order to craft a legislature that will advance its agenda.
Like the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF), the Institute for Legislative Analysis (ILA), and the American Conservative Union (ACU), IACI rates bills and scores lawmakers based on how they vote. This graph from the 2024 session shows how the ILA’s Idaho Platform Rating and IACI’s scorecard are almost entirely inversely correlated:
IACI is nonpartisan, supporting Republicans and Democrats alike who support the lobby’s agenda. As you can see from the graph, Idaho’s Democrats all score fairly high on IACI’s scorecard, while Republicans run a large gamut. The highest scoring and lowest scoring legislators are Republicans.
The current chairman of IACI is Jeff Malmen, a position once also held by Gov. Brad Little. The president of IACI is Alex LaBeau, and during the legislative session you will often find him testifying for or against bills in committees.
You might be surprised by some of the bills IACI supported… or opposed. The Gem State Chronicle is proud to unveil the IACI Scorecard Quiz, a 17-question survey that will tell you how you would score compared to Idaho’s lawmakers.
Give it a shot. Will you receive accolades at IACI’s annual conference in Sun Valley? Or will the Idaho Prosperity Fund finance a primary campaign against you?
To remove bias, the questions contain nothing more than the title and statement of purpose from each bill IACI scored. My only editorial decisions were in the thumbnails I chose for each bill.
Share your results on social media or in the comments section. As with the Idaho GOP Platform Quiz (you’ve taken that too, right?) I hope this exercise gives you a new appreciation for the challenges our legislators face in making laws on our behalf and better equips you to hold them accountable to their principles and promises.
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About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
