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NewsToday, I am thinking of cancelling my streaming services to just watch the entertainment at our state capitol. The sessions can be watched live or the videos downloaded. You will occasionally hear smart questions but also some rude and dismissive responses from legislators questioning one another.
The Idaho House Revenue and Tax Committee this morning took up H93. The bill Summary calls for The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit for a refundable tax credit of $5,000 (or $7,500 for special needs) for expenses related to “attending a nonpublic school.” The Fiscal Note says the $50 million will come from the General Fund. Yes, that same General Fund that supplies monies to public education and other state government obligations.
There was a motion to advance the bill with a do-pass recommendation but then Rep. Britt Raybould, Republican from District 34, Rexburg, made a substitute motion to lay the bill on the table, i.e. kill this bill. She was not allowed to speak to her substitute motion but it almost passed with a 7 (yes to kill) and 8 (don’t kill). The same split was on the main motion to advance the bill. It passed 8 to 7, an indication voucher legislation is NOT the slam dunk we have heard since last summer.
With various competing bills (also S1025) trying to transfer public dollars to private education, one may surmise that there is heavy pressure coming from somewhere other than the grassroots and with competing bills, there appears to be disagreement about how to make the legislation more palatable.
It has been established that the general public doesn’t approve of this raid on their state treasuries. Funding a separate school system has been defeated on state ballots and in Idaho, the BSU Annual Survey also reports that 53% of Idahoans surveyed are opposed.
Meanwhile way back east, on January 29, President Trump signed an Executive Order to start a process of transferring Title 1 funding to states to provide for universal choice, i.e. vouchers. Yes, this idea was first revealed in Project 2025.
Title 1 was signed into law by President Johnson in 1965 as part of his “War on Poverty.” Public schools with more that 50% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches, can apply for Title 1 funds. The program’s overall goal was to close the achievement gaps occurring between schools with more economically advantaged students and those with more in poverty.
Title 1 funding is currently also used by child care providers and specialized nonprofits serving the same poverty reduction objectives.
For more insight and analysis on League issues dear to your heart and the chaos at the Capitol, join the Legislative Action Committee (LAC) gatherings on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. MT. Contact LWVID Co-President Jean Henscheid to be added to the Zoom invites. Jean can be reached via at jeanhenscheid [at] gmail.com (subject: LAC%20Meetings) ().
Sincerely,
Betsy McBride, LWVID Co-President
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Idaho