I was proud to swear into the Senate last month. Serving our community at the Capitol is an honor. The pace here is fast, but I’m excited about meeting new legislators and getting things done.
I have been elected by my peers as the Senate Assistant Minority Leader. This role will give me the opportunity to meet with the Governor and Senate majority leadership throughout the session. I hope to use these opportunities to find common ground on important issues like public education funding, property tax relief and housing affordability.
I will serve on the following committees: Judiciary & Rules, State Affairs, and Commerce & Human Resources. I’m excited about these committee assignments.
The top issues this session will be public education funding and property tax relief. Expect concerted efforts to create an education voucher system. I will be fighting against that effort. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to make sure good policy is passed, and to ensure the experiences of everyday Idahoans are considered.
I will send out regular updates throughout the session, which is underway now – follow along in this newsletter, and on the Legislature’s website.
A Personal Note
Dear Constituents,
I am honored to have been elected as your Idaho State Senator, and I am excited to begin serving our community.
During my first week in office, I have been working hard to hit the ground running. I have met with my colleagues in the Senate, as well as representatives from various organizations, to discuss the important issues facing Idaho.
I am fully committed to fighting for the needs and interests of my hometown and to making sure your voices are heard in Idaho’s Capitol.
In the coming weeks and months, I will be working on a number of initiatives that I believe will have a positive impact on our community. Some of the issues I will be focusing on include
- Increasing public education funding
- Improving our judicial selection process
- Protecting the rights of first responders to obtain the workers’ compensation benefits they deserve
I will also be holding monthly town hall meetings to hear directly from you about the issues that matter most to you and your family. I encourage you to reach out to my office at any time with your thoughts and concerns.
I am honored to be your State Senator, and I look forward to working with you to make Idaho a better place for all of us. Let’s make Idaho a place our children and grandchildren want to live and raise their families.
Topics On My Mind: Collaboration & Public Education
As your State Senator, I am honored to serve and represent our community in the Idaho Legislature. One of my top priorities is to work in a bipartisan manner to achieve progress for our state.
I believe that by collaborating with my colleagues across the aisle, we can find common ground and pass legislation that benefits all Idahoans. This includes finding solutions to fully fund public education, which is essential for the future of our state and our children and grandchildren.
I also believe that investing in public education is one of the most important steps we can take to ensure a strong and prosperous economic future for Idaho. This means working to ensure that our schools have the resources they need to provide a high-quality education for every student, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Last August, I worked together with the Governor to pass an historic public education funding increase. This year, the Governor’s budget proposals increase pay for teachers and support staff, help Idaho high school students go on to college, and empower our public educators.
Hard line opposition to this plan has already been seen from some of the more extreme members of the majority party. They don’t agree with increasing funding for public education and would rather pour that money into a voucher system that would shift taxpayer money from our local public schools to private schools, religious schools and home schools. This would devastate our public education system, especially our rural schools.
I will work tirelessly to find solutions that meet the needs of our community. I encourage all of my constituents to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns they may have.
I look forward to working with you to make Idaho a better place for all of us.