Talking town hall

POST FALLS — When you get six of the county’s nine state legislators in the same room, a turnout as large as the topics addressed at the town hall meeting itself is to be expected.

About 100 people, including Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little and Idaho GOP Chairman Steve Yates, were at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Post Falls Saturday morning to ask their state legislators questions on topics ranging from health care to refugees. All of the legislators representing Kootenai County districts were invited to the meeting, which was organized and moderated by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.

To eliminate the possibility of attendees giving their own speeches, rather than just asking questions, the audience was asked to write down questions on notecards. The first question read to the panel of legislators asked what they plan on doing to ensure health care for all American citizens.

Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, responded by stating the big question when it comes to health care is what the federal government will do with plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Once state legislators have a feel for the tone the Trump administration will take on the issue, Souza said they will then be able to act on behalf of their constituents in Idaho.

“If they do follow through with some of their earlier promises and give the states individual bloc grants, we’ll then know that Idaho as a state can make its own decisions,” she said.

The state’s legislative body, according to Rep. Ron Mendive, R-Coeur d’Alene, has been divided on how to address health care ever since it was told by the federal government it had to take on the Affordable Care Act’s rules and regulations.

“This is an interesting session because until we know what they’re going to do on a federal level, we’re sort of forced to wait and see,” he added.

Another health care question asked the panel about the ability of residents to obtain insurance if they have pre-existing conditions. Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the question brings about a larger one regarding the overall cost of, and access to, medical care in the country.

“There’s a big difference between having access to primary care and having access to everything you need to lead a healthy life,” Malek said. “We have no idea what will happen at the federal level, but we can do things at the state level to bring down the cost of health care.”

The panel was asked about refugees as well, specifically whether local government has a say in the decision on the amounts of refugees a state allows. Souza replied neither the state, nor local municipalities, have the ability to control refugee intake and the decision lies with the federal government.

Rep. Don Cheatham, R-Post Falls, added that, while he is all for legal immigration, he is against the concept of sanctuary cities — cities that ignore federal immigration law. A halt on allowing refugees into the nation, he added, should also occur until the government is able to properly discern the intent of those entering.

“We do need to vet these people,” Mendive added, while also stating not all of the refugees coming into America want to assimilate into the country.

Repairing the state’s transportation infrastructure was a topic that yielded multiple questions from the audience. One question asked where the legislators believe future funding will come from for transportation needs.

Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, responded by stating there are two trains of thought in the Legislature regarding the funding. Some believe infrastructure improvement projects should only be funded through user fees, such as the gas tax, while others believe general fund monies should be used.

“It would be wise to use some of our state’s excess revenue toward that,” Vick added.

Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d’Alene, echoed Vick in his belief that funding transportation needs cannot be solely accomplished through user fees.

“It inherently makes sense, but looking into the future we can all see it coming. As cars are using less gas, and electric cars become more prevalent, that (user fee) system will ultimately fail.” he added.