The final days of an Idaho legislative session are always hectic. Bills that would otherwise take days or weeks to move through the system suddenly move in mere hours. When there’s a will, there’s a way—and when lawmakers are ready to go home, things move very fast.

I’ve been live-tweeting on the Gem State Chronicle’s account on X, so hopefully you’ve had a chance to follow along.

For many conservatives, illegal immigration was the top priority heading into the session. With numerous bills stalled, Sens. Kelly Anthon and Lori Den Hartog introduced four bills to address the problem. How did they fare?

• Senate Bill 1440, levying a tax on remittances along with a credit for those in the country legally, failed to receive a committee hearing.
• Senate Bill 1441, pushing local law enforcement to enter into 287(g) agreements with ICE, was sent to the Senate amending order, where it remained at adjournment.
• Senate Bill 1442, requiring audits of NGOs engaged in refugee resettlement and data on illegal aliens arrested by law enforcement, passed the Senate but failed in House State Affairs.
• Senate Bill 1443, allowing early release of illegal alien prisoners for the purpose of deportation, failed in Senate State Affairs.
• Additionally, Senate Bill 1247—the weak E-Verify bill that passed the Senate earlier in the session—was radiator-capped in the House and turned into a new 287(g) bill after stakeholders could not agree on a path forward for E-Verify. This bill passed the House but was not taken up by the Senate.

In the end, not a single immigration bill made its way to Gov. Brad Little’s desk. This is a major failure for the Legislature this year and demonstrates the challenge we face in ensuring that Idaho jurisdictions and employers follow the law.

There was more drama related to legislation prohibiting taxpayer subsidies for teachers’ unions. House Bill 745 was locked in a drawer by Sen. Dan Foreman, so the Senate—led by Sens. Brian Lenney and Cindy Carlson—radiator-capped House Bill 516 with the language from H745.

Sen. Dave Lent attempted a procedural motion to send H516 to committee to die, but the motion failed. The Senate eventually passed the bill and sent it back to the House.

On Thursday morning, members of the House vehemently debated whether to concur with the Senate’s amendment. After concurrence passed, Rep. Lori McCann moved to send the bill to committee to die. This motion failed as well, and the bill ultimately passed the House, heading to Gov. Little’s desk.

The governor had not signed H516 as of this writing. The Idaho Education Association, along with its union allies, is bringing tremendous pressure on the governor to veto the bill. We need to bring pressure of our own. Call Gov. Little’s office at 208-334-2100 and respectfully ask him to sign House Bill 516.

Senate Bill 1336, bringing new civics requirements to public high school students, drew a lot of debate as well. It barely passed the House Education Committee, and critics then spent the better part of an hour debating against the bill on the House floor. Reps. Monica Church and Lori McCann, both with public education backgrounds, strongly argued against the bill, claiming it imposed too much work and too many mandates on local schoolteachers.

Rep. Chris Mathias made perhaps the oddest argument against the bill, claiming that all of the founding documents the bill required students to study—including the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and Common Sense—were written by “white dudes” and giving that as a reason to vote against the bill.

Nevertheless, S1336 passed the House easily and headed to the governor’s desk. Floor sponsor Rep. Barbara Ehardt debated passionately in favor of bringing knowledge and appreciation of our heritage to the next generation.

Social issues dominated the final weeks of the session. House Bill 752, requiring people to use public restrooms corresponding to their biological sex, and House Bill 822, prohibiting teachers and counselors from socially transitioning children without parental consent, both passed in the final days. House Bill 561, levying harsh penalties against cities that continue defying last year’s flag bill, also passed and was signed into law, prompting Mayor Lauren McLean to tearfully take down the LGBTQ+ pride flag that had flown over Boise City Hall for the past few years.

In response to these bills, a group of protesters occupied Gov. Little’s office on Wednesday, with nine arrested after refusing to leave. Prior to adjournment, House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel shared a limerick with her colleagues, asking them to stop being so mean to LGBTQ folks.

The Senate adjourned sine die (without day) at about 6:20 p.m., with the House following ten minutes later. Several bills remain on the governor’s desk, and if he vetoes them, the Legislature will be unable to attempt an override. That said, any bill in danger of a veto did not pass with a two-thirds majority in the first place, so it doesn’t make sense for legislators to return next week.

Over the next few days, I’ll bring you in-depth analysis of the legislative session—both the good and the bad. I believe most of this year’s frustration could be resolved with a few small changes to the makeup of the Legislature. I’ll also have an analysis of the Republican legislative primary for you soon, so you know where to get the most bang for your buck.

It’s been an intense week—even for me, and I’m on the outside looking in. I’ll have more information for you soon. As always, the Gem State Chronicle is here to give you the tools you need to be an engaged citizen of our republic. Thank you for your support—it’s an honor and a privilege to serve you in this way.

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