LEGISLATURE: Plenty of bills to be aware of

Bills, bills, and more bills. If you weren’t aware, the Idaho Legislature has been in session for seven weeks. There have been almost 500 bills introduced so far, and there’ll be many more to come. Before I woke up, politics was just something out there. Busy working and raising my children, I just went on with my life before and after an election, not noticing much change. Hello, Biden administration! Time to pay attention.

Reading bills and following the House and Senate debates can be quite interesting. Take for example, Senate Bill 1026. This piece of legislation allows a homeowner to have chickens regardless of their HOA. With the price of eggs, raising chickens in your backyard might be a nice option. House Bills 41 and 45 would limit which flags can be displayed in public classrooms and on government flag poles. And recently, House Bill 53, prohibiting mask mandates has passed both chambers and is heading to the governor’s desk.

I’ve learned not to judge a bill by its title. Sometimes, what I thought the bill was about is not reality. Take House Bill 138. The title reads Medicaid expansion, conditions. For many, there’s a knee jerk reaction, “Oh, no! Don’t you dare end Medicaid.” But if you read the bill, about three pages long, its purpose is not to end Medicaid; rather, it is to save Medicaid by reducing fraudulent payments. https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/H0138/

Other topics this session include cloud seeding, property tax reduction, and execution by firing squad. Did you know the hearings and debates are recorded and archived? Head over to the legislative website. https://legislature.idaho.gov/ I am sure you’ll find a few bills that pique your interest. 

JENNY HOLMES

Post Falls