Last week, I asked readers to share their most important priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. Though it’s not a large sample size relative to the entire state, I believe it represents a significant cross-section of the most engaged conservative citizens in Idaho.
I collected responses via Substack comments, comments at gemstatechronicle.com, and emails I received, and then attempted to categorize them into broad issues. Many commenters refrained from repeating issues that had already been raised, so the real numbers might be a bit different. As I said, this is a cross-section, not a scientific survey.
- Nearly everyone said we need to reduce government spending. I take this as a given for conservative voters in Idaho. We’ll see if JFAC and the Legislature can actually do it this year.
- The top issue for respondents was migration, with most emphasizing that no public funds should be allocated to illegal aliens. Last year, Reps. Josh Tanner and Jordan Redman introduced a bill addressing this concern, but it failed to pass out of committee. I believe a similar bill would have a strong chance of success this year.
- The next issue was a category I called “traditional values”. This included banning drag shows on public property, strengthening last year’s library bill to restrict minors from accessing harmful materials, establishing a Traditional Families Month in June, and passing a resolution against the Supreme Court’s decision Obergefell v. Hodges which imposed homosexual marriage on the nation.
- After that came school choice. Most respondents simply called for school choice, which I interpret to mean a system where tax money follows the student rather than the school. This could be an education savings account, like the one proposed in 2023, or a tax credit, which failed to pass committee last year. Some respondents took the opposite position, claiming that school choice proposals could potentially harm homeschool families.
- Tax relief was next. Most respondents who mentioned this issue called for the elimination of sales taxes on groceries, followed by others who want to see property taxes eliminated or at least reformed. Many simply asked for lower taxes in general.
- Next was health freedom, with most people demanding no vaccine mandates, as well as no future lockdowns or mask mandates as well.
- Federalism was also a big issue. Several people called for Idaho to somehow take back federal lands within our state, with others calling for our government to take back various responsibilities that have been usurped by DC.
- Many people called for the elimination of the initiative process, which brought us Medicaid Expansion and attempted to change the way we vote. One person suggested not eliminating it, but significantly raising the threshold for ballot initiatives. Numerous people called for banning ranked choice voting, which was already done at the legislative level last year, but it could potentially be added to the Constitution to make it harder to overcome in the future.
- Along those lines, securing our elections was important to quite a few people as well. Cleaning voter roles was a popular suggestion.
- Several people suggested laws prohibiting weather modification, including so-called “chemtrails”.
- DEI was another consistent issue, with calls to eliminate it throughout taxpayer-supported institutions.
- Several people brought up gun rights, especially a law that would allow teachers to carry concealed firearms on school grounds. This bill passed the House last year but was not given a hearing in the Senate. I expect better in 2025.
- A few people brought up abortion, with most wanting to strengthen our laws but one suggesting we make clearer in the law that medical interventions to save the mother’s life are not illegal.
- Two respondents suggested making gold and silver legal tender in Idaho.
- There were also responses calling on the Legislature to keep drugs illegal, reform the judicial system, protect female spaces, impose term limits, and privatize liquor stores.
In addition to these things, there were a few suggestions that I felt did not fit neatly into my categories and deserved direct attention:
- “Have our Grand Old Party put into legislation a bill to establish a “TOD” (Transfer On Death) law within the state so our beneficiaries are not subjected to the probate debacle system.”
- “Voting on judges: I’m all for it — but I only want 35 people voting on them. Let’s go to the system where the governor appoints and the senate confirms. The current system is stupid.”
- “Both houses of the legislature need their own legal counsel, so the bills can be written properly to accord with the existing corpus of law.”
- “Create a state co-op for homeowner’s insurance. Homeowner’s insurance is in crisis in Idaho. Something must be done about it ASAP. Many people in North Idaho can no longer obtain homeowner’s insurance because insurance companies won’t write policies in certain areas.”
- “Only Official Flags Flown on Public Grounds — Stop the pride flag from being displayed in classrooms and in city halls.” (I can share that there will be just such a bill this year!)
- “End daylight savings time.”
I believe many of these issues are entirely possible for the Legislature to accomplish this year. They have the ability to reduce spending, cut taxes, cut services to illegal aliens, ban drag shows where children are present, establish a school choice tax refund, ban vaccine and mask mandates, eliminate DEI in public schools and universities, strengthen gun rights, and protect sound money. These are not pie-in-the-sky ideas, but common-sense proposals that flow from conservative principles.
Now that I’ve established a baseline for what you want to see, we can look back in April and evaluate what the Legislature actually accomplished. Will the 2025 session be a conservative success, or a disappointment? Stay tuned.
In the meantime, make sure you’re contacting your senators and representatives and telling them what you want to see out of this next session. Use Idaho Insider at the Gem State Chronicle to learn more about your elected representatives, including contact info. Or, if you just want to blast a message to multiple people at once, use the excellent tool at emailidaho.com.
Our job as voters and engaged citizens does not stop on Election Day. No, it’s only just begun. Let’s help our lawmakers pass good conservative policies to keep this state free for our children and our grandchildren. Let’s make Idaho a shining example of what America was, and can be again.
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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.
