We have officially been in session for one week and, as expected, the time flew by. I’m working hard to spend my time efficiently and create legislation that will improve the lives of working families in my district. One of the highlights of the week was beginning our first committee meetings. In case you don’t know, committees are subgroups within the legislature that allow representatives to handle legislation in a specific field. When one of us wants to pass a bill, we begin by bringing it to the committee it would fall under. This session, I am serving on the Agriculture Committee, the Revenue and Taxation Committee, and the Judicial and Rules Committee. I was happy to watch a presentation in Revenue and Taxation given by Keith Bybee, a Pocatello native, who did a masterful job explaining tax policy and Idaho’s tax structure and revenue sources. The first week of the session is also when we start working on our bills. Representative Chris Mathias and I have been working on legislation together. Rep. Mathias is from Boise. He is a Coast Guard veteran and has both a law degree and a Ph.d. I’m looking forward to working on policy with Chris in the coming years. He is intelligent, a hard worker and a strategic thinker. Stay tuned to learn more about the legislation we’re working on together.
Despite the bright spots, the first week was not without its disappointments. Most notably, I was very disheartened on Friday when Rep. Muffy Davis’ motion to modify House rules to allow representatives at high risk of Covid-19 to work remotely within the City of Boise was rejected. I have the privilege of sitting next to Rep. Davis on the House floor. Her motion likely would have only applied to two representativesIf you aren’t familiar with Muffy’s story, as a teenage competitive skier, Muffy suffered a horrible accident that left her as a paraplegic with compromised lung function. She is confined to a wheelchair, but that only tells part of the story. Rep. Davis is a Paralympic Gold medalist, a Stanford University graduate, a wife and mother, and a representative who works hard for her constituents.I was very discouraged to see that this vote was made on party lines. This should not have been a partisan issue. This was about being human and empathetic, and my colleagues failed Rep. Davis. I have received an outpouring of concern regarding this bad vote, and I hope we can find a solution for Muffy. Until then, I will do my best to help foster the safest work environment I can for Rep. Davis.Check out Betsy’s Blog (Idaho Press-Tribune) detailing Rep. Davis’ Motion here.Check out Rep. Davis’ response to this vote here.
Coming up this week, most of us are anxiously anticipating Inauguration Day on the 20th. While I know the day will usher in the kind of leadership our nation needs, I am also aware of the danger insurrectionists and seditionists will present President Biden as well as legislators and civilians all over the country. But I am more concerned with the law enforcement officers and National Guard soldiers who may have to put their lives in danger in order to protect us. On Friday, I spoke with my law school classmate, Col. Paul Boice, who just saw his daughter—an Idaho National Guard soldier—off as she headed to D.C. to protect the nation’s Capitol. All of this upheaval seems so unnecessary. Rest assured, though, I will be at the Capitol doing my job, and I feel confident that the Idaho State Police are working hard to keep us safe. In fact, I saw them at the Capitol Building this weekend.
Finally, I want to wish you all a happy Martin Luther King Jr. day today. I suppose the chaos and the anger we are experiencing today was familiar to Dr. King. I wonder whether he would be pleased with our progress or surprised we haven’t done better. Regardless, I believe he would tell us we have more work to do, and he would be at the front of the effort with his sleeves rolled up ready to begin. I’m ready to do the same. I hope you are, too.
With that, let me sign off this newsletter with a quote from Dr. King that is a helpful reminder to us all in these strange and challenging times in our nation’s history: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -MLK
