Capitol Letters: Nonprofits seek relief from attorney general’s investigation

Ryan Suppe, Hayat Norimine
·4 min read

By Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter; Hayat Norimine, Accountability Editor

Last year, the Marsing School District applied for a federal grant to help fund summer school and preschool programs. The rural Treasure Valley district, which serves fewer than 1,000 students, received about $135,000.

“It was always our interpretation that we qualified,” Marsing Superintendent Norm Stewart told the Idaho Statesman by phone.

That’s why Stewart was surprised this month when the district received a demand from the Idaho attorney general’s office to produce a slew of information about the district’s grant application. Idaho lawmakers are concerned that ineligible recipients may have received the grants.

And Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office is investigating whether state law was followed in distributing the grants, spokesperson Beth Cahill told the Statesman by email.

But grant recipients, who were served investigative demands from the state’s top attorney, said they followed the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s guidance. Dozens of recipients this week filed a complaint that asked Ada County’s 4th Judicial District to intervene, calling the attorney general’s demands and deadlines unreasonable.

Nearly three dozen organizations signed on to a complaint Wednesday, asking for an injunction to dismiss the investigative demands or, at the very least, extend the amount of time grant recipients have to respond.

Read the full story here.

What else happened?

  • Senators referred a bill to ban restraint and seclusion as forms of school discipline for amendments, following concern from lawmakers that the bill included private schools. The bill would also ban corporal punishment in schools.

  • Another version of the bill addressing “harmful” materials in libraries has been sent to the House floor.

  • Senate Bill 1100 would create a state policy that aims to ensure separate school bathrooms and locker rooms based on a student’s sex at birth. It’s been passed by both chambers and will be sent to the governor’s office.

  • Senators passed a joint memorial calling on Congress to address illegal immigration, without a pathway for undocumented immigrants to get U.S. citizenship. You can read the full joint memorial here.

What to expect today

  • 8 a.m. House Education. The committee could introduce another bill regarding public funds for private schools.

  • 8 a.m. House State Affairs. The public can testify on several bills involving voter registration, write-in candidate deadlines and the elimination of voter affidavits. The committee will also consider draft legislation on “attorney general opinions.”

  • 9 a.m. House Health and Welfare. Lawmakers will hold a public hearing on a bill to add the “Medical Ethics Defense Act,” which would protect medical practitioners or “health care payers” who refuse to participate in treatments or prescriptions that go against their beliefs.

  • 1 p.m. Senate Judiciary and Rules. The committee will hold a public hearing on a bill to criminalize gender-affirming care for trans kids.

  • 1:30 p.m. House Judiciary, Rules and Administration. The public can testify on the “Coronavirus Stop Act,” which would prohibit businesses from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine from employees.

Find the full list of committee meetings and agendas for the House here, and for the Senate here.

Opinion: Chipping away at civil liberties

By Scott McIntosh, Opinion Editor

It seems like right around this time every year in Idaho, people say, “This is the worst legislative session ever.”

I myself wrote a pair of columns in 2021, dubbing that year “the worst session ever,” citing efforts to usurp power from the governor, from the attorney general, from cities and states, local school boards and districts, even from voters.

“I felt like a few years ago was the worst,” Leo Morales, executive director of ACLU of Idaho, told me in a video interview. “And then last year, I thought, ‘Oh no, this is the worst.’ And this year, I’m saying this is the worst, and so I’ve got to stop saying that because I’m concerned that next year is going to be horrible as well.”

But arguing back in 2021 about whether to withdraw from Powerball because Australia has gun control seems so quaint compared with the more serious attacks on individual civil liberties brought by legislators this year.

Read my full column here on why this year is different.

Opinion: Frankenstein’s monster

By Scott McIntosh, Opinion Editor

Here we are once again in the waning days of the legislative session, and legislators are tackling the No. 1 priority heading into the session — property tax relief — at the 11th hour.

And what they’re considering is a complicated mess of a bill whose fiscal impacts are uncertain, all while they ignore the simplest, most sensible solution.

Read our full editorial here on why the bill they’re focusing on is more like Frankenstein’s monster.

Track other bills

Keep track of high-profile bills as they go through the legislative process. You can find yesterday’s updates here.

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