The 68th Idaho Legislature gaveled in at noon today, with Gov. Brad Little presenting his vision in his seventh State of the State Address. The governor’s plan lacked a big central item like last year’s $2 billion school facilities program or 2023’s Launch Grant; rather it was mostly focused on continuing existing programs and, of course, spending more money.
House Republican leadership followed up the governor’s speech with a press conference outlining their own legislative priorities, while Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC) hosted former Arizona governor Doug Ducey to promote school choice. Gov. Little held his own press conference in which he went into more detail about his agenda.
I joined Matt Edwards of Citizens Alliance of Idaho for the first Idaho Signal program of the season, just before the governor’s address:
So, what do we know now that day 1 is in the books?
Tax relief: Gov. Little called for $100 million in tax relief, while Speaker Moyle wants at least three times that much. Little said that he would be happy to sign a bill raising the grocery tax credit or exempting groceries from the sales tax, but he was concerned about what would constitute “groceries”. Moyle said he supported raising the credit.
School choice: MSPC brought Doug Ducey to town to talk about how great Arizona’s universal school choice system has been, and then Rep. Wendy Horman introduced a very modest tax credit bill afterward. Her proposal will be a $5,000 refundable credit per student in a non-public education system, including private schools, microschools, pod schools, homeschools, etc. The credit will be $7,500 for students with special needs.
The program will be capped at $50 million for the first year, meaning a max of 10,000 students will benefit. Families under 300% of the federal poverty line will get first dibs. The governor announced $50 million for school choice in his address, which indicates he is likely to back Horman’s bill. Little also called for some form of accountability, however, which is going to be a sticking point with school choice advocates. Rep. Jason Monks pointed out that the best form of accountability is parents, not bureaucrats.
Spending: Gov. Little called for more investment in education and infrastructure, as usual. He touted the Launch Grant, saying it not only filled needed gaps in the state’s workforce but gave students who might not otherwise go on to college a path forward. He asked for $25 million additional toward workforce development. Speaker Moyle was nonplussed by that request, saying he wants to take a closer look at Launch rather than handing over more money. His biggest concern is that Launch is overseen by the unelected Workforce Development Council, the members of which are handpicked by the governor.
I’ll have much more analysis to come, but I need to get back to the Capitol for Sen. Codi Galloway’s school choice forum. Stay tuned, because the show is just getting started.
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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.
