POLITICS: Stay in the know about Legislature

In North Idaho, what happens in Boise can seem remote and detached from our lives. The reality is far from that. 

An analogy: your part-time gardener (you, your spouse or hired help) makes a full-time impact on your property’s aesthetics. A lush lawn, trimmed shrubs, healthy trees, minimal pests and abundant flowers — a few hours per week yield a pleasant landscape.   

Similarly, our part-time legislature, only in session January-March (sometimes briefly into April) aims to enhance your life.  

In the 2025 session, 340 bills became law. The 2026 session just began and within one week, all of the following were addressed and may become laws affecting you and your family: drones, human trafficking, AI in education, e-bikes, gender identity, petition signature gathering, political violence and religious discrimination. 

It’s overwhelming to keep up on every bill and vote. Thankfully, there are people and sources that do. Accessing these regularly during the short legislative session is worthwhile.

A few recommended sources: legislature.idaho.gov is a one-stop shop where you can view livestreams, access contact info and even give public comment regarding bills — a relevant part of citizen government. 

Many legislators have their own online “blogs” via Substack and/or have mailing lists accessible from the website above. Another useful resource is Idaho Signal — a daily live program analyzing Idaho’s legislative goings-on. Their videos are on X, Rumble, Telegram, Facebook and YouTube. 

Idaho’s annual state budget is $14-plus billion — a very lavish landscape of spending. Let’s keep an eye on what’s being planted.   

MARIANNA COCHRAN
Rathdrum