Capitol Letters: Workforce scholarships clear final hurdle

Ryan Suppe
·3 min read

By Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter

Idaho high school students soon will be eligible for thousands in scholarships if they stay in-state for college or workforce training.

The Legislature on Wednesday approved Gov. Brad Little’s proposal to create $8,500 grants targeted at Idaho students seeking education and training for in-demand jobs. A follow-up bill would reduce the scholarship amount and limit which education providers are eligible, but that bill has yet to clear the House.

Little’s bill met opposition in both chambers. It passed the House by one vote, with most GOP members opposed. Republican senators said Wednesday they’re concerned the trailer bill scaling back the program wouldn’t cross the finish line, and hardline conservatives likened the workforce scholarships to “corporate welfare.”

“Our responsibility is to do the K-12 education and then provide more opportunities going forward,” Little previously told the Idaho Statesman. “This is just fulfilling our obligation. This is not going to be a freebie for anything.”

Read my full story here.

Senate rejects suicide exception to trans health care ban

The Senate yesterday rejected an amendment to a bill banning health care for transgender children that would have made an exception for kids who are suicidal.

Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, who proposed the amendment, said it would leave everything about the bill in place. That means doctors would no longer be able to provide gender-affirming surgery, puberty blockers or hormone treatments to transgender minors.

“If they are suffering from depression to such an extent that they’re considering taking their life, then there will be an exception to the rule that says they can receive this treatment,” Ruchti told the full Senate.

As House Bill 71 moved through the legislative process, many opposed to banning health care for transgender kids said that the care often helps kids struggling with depression because of gender dysphoria.

Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, who is co-sponsoring the bill, proposed a successful amendment that separates the bill from an existing statute banning female circumcision on children.

Republican senators during a committee meeting last week advocated for keeping that statute intact and dealing with transgender youth health care separately.

Like other Republicans backing the gender-affirming care ban, Den Hartog last week said transgender minors should wait for medical treatment until adulthood and should instead seek therapy. Den Hartog briefly debated against the suicide amendment yesterday, saying it “undermines” the purpose of the bill.

The Senate also rejected a proposed amendment, from Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, that would have removed the bans on puberty blockers and hormone treatments but kept the ban on gender-affirming surgery.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill in the coming days.

What else happened?

  • The debate over “school choice” may be at an end for this session, Idaho Education News reported. A bill creating a private school voucher program was removed from a committee agenda, after failing to garner support in private conversations.

  • A bill requiring that local law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration enforcement cleared the House State Affairs Committee. It heads to the full House.

  • A Senate committee advanced a bill making libraries liable to $2,500 lawsuits for distributing “harmful material.” There may be minor amendments.

  • After the House rejected the first proposal, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee cleared a new Medicaid budget that cut about $150 million from the more than $4.5 billion appropriation. It heads to the full House.

What to expect today

  • 8 a.m. Senate State Affairs. There are six bills on the agenda, including one that would create free voter IDs and another that would require libraries to create citizen review committees for overseeing policies protecting minors from accessing “harmful material.”

  • 1:30 p.m. House Judiciary, Rules and Administration. The committee will consider a bill that would give judges 3% raises.

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

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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