BILLS: One good, one bad

I recently read two articles that disturbed me. The first one related to the House State Affairs Committee’s decision to kill the Medicaid gap bill. This decision directly affects 70,000 Idahoans who can not afford medical care. It will also impact everybody since those who have no other option go to the ER where the cost is passed on to us.

Vito Barbieri stated that he did not know where the money would come from to cover the cost of this bill. I believe this is your job as a legislator. Your constituents have a need; it is up to you to use some critical and creative thinking to find a solution to problems.

The second article related to the House Business Committee’s action to ban local governments from creating a minimum wage law. The rationale for this ban is that it would create a patchwork of laws in the state. This patchwork already exists. It is called local control. Municipalities create laws that suit their needs in a variety of areas. Vito Barbieri, chairman of this committee, has been an advocate of local control and against big government overreach. This appears to be a contradiction.

LOU TEYLER

Coeur d’Alene