Initiative measure not a pay day bill

It is appalling that scurrilous, untrue attacks can be ginned up overnight and leveled at one of the most honest senators in our Legislature. Hundreds of angry emails and phone messages have flooded my office, often naming the senator as a terrible person, which is simply not true.

Another untrue claim is that the pay day loan industry wrote Senate Bill 1159, which updates our Idaho voter initiative law. That is completely false. The bill was written by legislators in the House, with some senators conferring.

The senator sponsoring the bill researched national trends along with recent initiatives in Idaho and nearby states. Some process data was gathered from Prop 2, the Medicaid expansion and Prop 1, the recent horse racing initiative, as well as data from many other states. The claim that the pay day loan industry wrote the bill is totally false and out of line.

There is also a rumor that this voter initiative bill is to “get back” at people working on the Medicaid expansion initiative. This is also totally untrue. This initiative update was not born out of anger or retaliation. It is coming from the realization that technology and big money are changing the face of voter initiatives across the country. States all over the nation, both blue and red, are updating their initiative processes to reflect the modern ability to contact and pinpoint specific voters very quickly.

Twenty-four states do not allow initiatives at all. The rest of the states have varying requirements and, by comparison, Idaho is currently on the low end. Senate Bill 1159 increases the standards and requires all regions of the state to be included. Rural areas of Idaho must have a voice!

I was surprised when a Democrat friend wrote to ask why the proposed bill requires a fiscal note for the initiative. They thought the Legislature would add that when it passed through our system here in the Capitol. I realized, then, that many folks aren’t clear on the initiative process. Once it has enough signatures and passes election, the initiative bypasses the Legislature entirely and is signed into law, or not, by the governor. We have nothing to do with it. No review. No vetting. No committee meetings. So, having correct fiscal impact information on both the signature sheets and voting ballot is essential.

We are looking to the future. Technology and big money are rapidly changing the political environment. It is critical that the voter being asked to sign an initiative understand both the reason for the petition and its immediate and future impact. We believe the hurried voter who is asked to sign an initiative before they go into the grocery store deserves full and accurate information.

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Senator Mary Souza represents District 4, Coeur d’Alene.