Idaho Republican criticized for barring students under 18 from testimony, changes rule

An Idaho lawmaker downplayed criticism of his recent decision to bar people under 18 from testifying in his committee on Friday, before he loosened the restrictions.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, who chairs the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee this month announced he would prohibit anyone under 18 to testify on proposed legislation without permission from him or another lawmaker. Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, announced last week she would enforce the same rule in the House Local Government Committee, which she chairs.

On Friday, Skaug said he was modifying the rule, to allow people under 18 to testify, but instead of a committee member’s permission, they will need their guardian’s.

“There is a war in Ukraine, there’s food inflation causing financial pain to just about everyone, China is saber rattling with Taiwan, we have our Army National Guard, some of our people, serving in Syria in harm’s way,” the second-term Republican said. “But the biggest news in the newspaper lately has been this committee, on one of our rules. … That kind of surprised me.”

Skaug said he’s received many phone calls in recent weeks. Some messages were “vile, profane, insulting,” he said, but “one of my favorites” came from a 75-year-old Middleton man, who opposed the rule and joked that he would be OK with blocking millennials from testifying.

“I thought that might not be appropriate, but at least he made me laugh and I appreciate the humor from that man,” Skaug said. “So with his call and listening to others, we’re going to modify that rule a little bit.”

Ehardt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Students protest testimony rule

Idaho students in recent weeks have rallied against the restrictions.

High school government teachers encourage their students to get involved in local politics, said Eagle High School senior William Tadje, 17. The restrictions showed “there’s clearly a disconnect” between lawmakers and educators, Tadje said.

“That’s a huge discouragement for people that are under 18 who are trying to get into politics, like myself, and people that are looking to create change in our community,” Tadje, who serves as his school’s co-student body president, told the Idaho Statesman by phone. The “House represents everybody,” Tadje said, and excluding some people from participating was “undemocratic.”

Shiva Rajbhandari, 18, a Boise High School senior, said he first testified in a legislative committee when he was 16. Now, he’s the youngest member of the Boise School District’s board of trustees.

“I think that is really insulting to the thousands of students across the state who have really valuable input for lawmakers,” Rajbhandari told the Statesman by phone. “When we start to limit the input that constituents can provide, we start to undermine the legitimacy of the policy we’re creating.”

Rajbhandari said Skaug’s new rule requiring parental permission is “not an acceptable compromise.”

“Our work is not done,” Rajbhandari said via text message.