Welcome legislators back to Boise

UPDATE: Action archived

The Idaho Legislature is starting its 2022 session this week and it is time for Idaho 97 Percenters to focus our legislators on what most Idahoans want.

We have been busy gathering data, talking to groups across the political spectrum, reading private and public polling, and listening to Idahoans across the state, and this is what we’ve found:

• Most Idahoans want education fully funded, including 80% of REPUBLICAN VOTERS! Why is the legislature ignoring those desires and listening to the minority of extremists in the state?

• Most Idahoans want local control — not state control — of their schools, to the tune of 75%! Why does the Idaho Legislature always try to take away LOCAL CONTROL of our school boards?

• Most Idahoans disapprove of the Idaho Legislature’s handling of education. Why are they still threatening education budgets?

• The top three issues for Idahoans are HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, AND QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION. Why are so many Idaho legislators ignoring housing, lying about healthcare, and trying to destroy our education system?

• Tax cuts are not even in the top 14 – FOURTEEN – issues for most Idaho REPUBLICANS! Why is the Idaho legislature talking about tax cuts and ignoring ALL THE OTHER ISSUES Idahoans care about?

UPDATE: Almost 400 of you told YOUR LEGISLATOR to focus on the top concerns and values of Idahoans this session: To fully fund EDUCATION, tackle the HOUSING CRISIS, and make sure Idahoans have access to HEALTHCARE, to LISTEN TO IDAHOANS and not right-wing RADICALS when making policy decisions.

You said:

Welcome back to the 2022 Legislative session. Thank you for your service to Idaho. I am writing to express my concerns for the upcoming legislative session. I recently learned that:

- Most Idaho voters want education fully funded.

- Most Idaho voters want local control (not legislative control) of their schools.

- Most Idaho voters disapprove of the Idaho Legislature’s handling of education last session.

- The top three issues for Idahoans are HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, AND QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION.

- Tax cuts are not even in the top fourteen issues for Idaho voters.

I am an Idaho voter and I agree with the vast majority of my fellow Idahoans! Despite these facts, the Idaho Legislature has been consistently passing legislation that runs counter to our values, concerns, and desires. We are at a critical moment in our country and our state and I want this session to be different. I want you to focus on the concerns of the vast majority of Idahoans like me, not the destructive interests of radical right-wing extremists who have a loud voice but DO NOT represent the needs and desires of your constituents.

We love our schools, we want our communities to be safe and healthy and we want to be able to continue to afford to live in this great state. The people who complain about our local schools and teachers, lie about COVID, and don’t care about our very real housing needs are often controlled, funded, and supported by out of state interests. I’m a citizen of Idaho and I think you should be listening to us first and not the extremist lobby.

My priorities, and the priorities of the vast majority of Idahoans, are for you to fully fund education, address the housing crisis, and ensure Idahoans have access to healthcare. The “surplus” you might be thinking about using for tax cuts – which are not the priority of Idahoans – should go to what your voters want first.

Thank you for hearing my concerns, stay safe in Boise, and good luck in the May primary.