An Idaho Attorney General’s opinion on HB 2 concludes that the bill as written would not force clergy to marry gay couples, and would not impair any Idahoan’s freedom of speech; you can read it here. Both questions were posed by Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise,...
Tonight’s portion of the two-day hearing on HB 2 has wrapped up; the House State Affairs Committee heard from 25 people tonight, just three of them opposed to the bill, and all the rest in favor. Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, said the committee will...
In continuing testimony tonight on the “Add the Words” bill: Ben Wilson, a board member of the Interfaith Alliance of Idaho, said, “It is unfair and not an Idaho value at all to discriminate against anyone in the employment or social marketplace. … No one…
From testimony tonight on HB 2: Larry Chase told the lawmakers, “Never in my business career have I ever seen any difference between gay or straight workers.” He said he once had to respond to an age discrimination complaint at the Idaho Human Rights Commission…
More testimony: Linda Brown, who spoke at length in opposition to HB 2, said she was born in Tunisia, but can’t check the box saying she’s African-American. “They want to claim that what is inside their head is their true sexuality. It’s not logical,” she...
More testimony from tonight’s hearing on HB 2: Barry Peters said he thought the term “sexual orientation” in HB 2 could be interpreted as including pedophilia. He said if he had a four-plex to rent and had families with children in three of the four…
The House State Affairs Committee has resumed taking public testimony on HB 2, the bill to add the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Idaho Human Rights Act, to ban discrimination in housing, employment or public accommodations on those bases. Among those testifying:…
Idaho pays its bills for firefighting after the fact – about a year and a half after the fact, after other agencies responsible for part of the costs have paid up, and the net cost to the state is known. So when the latest firefighting…
Sherri Ybarra More than 500 people, including hundreds of Idaho charter school students wearing bright-yellow fleece scarves, gathered on the state Capitol steps today for a rally celebration National School Choice Week, and state schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra offered supportive words. “Instead of pitting charter...
The hearing on HB 2, the "Add the Words" bill, has wrapped up for the morning, as House members are headed to their chamber for their floor session. House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, said it'll reconvene at 5 p.m. This morning, 23…
Mormon church leaders are making a national appeal for a "balanced approach" in the clash between gay rights and religious freedom, the AP reports; the church is promising to support some housing and job protections for gays and lesbians in exchange for legal protections for...
So far today, 17 people have testified on HB 2, the civil rights bill regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. The first six were against; the next nine were in favor, including two Presbyterian ministers, followed by two opponents. The Rev. Marci Glass of Southminster…
Testimony has resumed on HB 2. Among those speaking so far was Janet Bryant, a retired teacher, who said, “This bill has been presented as a beautiful bouquet of flowers but inside is a hand grenade with the pin already pulled.” She said, “Boys and…
The House State Affairs Committee took a break, after Rep. Paulette Jordan, D-Plummer, asked to pose a question to the administrator of the Idaho Human Rights Commission. After much talking back and forth between committee members about procedure, the panel reconvened, and Plummer asked Linda…
Julie Lynde, head of the Cornerstone Institute of Idaho, spoke out against HB 2 at today's hearing. “This isn’t about whether a guy can wear a dress, it’s about whether he can take it off in front of your daughter, your mother, your niece,” she…
The first four people to testify this morning at the HB 2 hearing all spoke against the bill, including Pastor Jeff Estes of Fellowship Baptist Church in Meridian, who said, “My argument against HB 2 is that instead of having cutout slices of people who...
As the hearing on HB 2 begins this morning, House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, offered an explanation for why the committee is seated in the back row of the dais, with a row of empty chairs in front of it. Loertscher said…
The hearing on HB 2, the “Add the Words” bill to add civil rights protections in Idaho for gays and transgender people, is about to take back up this morning. House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, said the plan is to take testimony...
As the Legislature’s joint budget committee continues a week of hearings on education budgets, North Idaho College President Joe Dunlap told lawmakers this morning that state funding for NIC is now about the same as it was 12 years ago. “When factoring in an inflation…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
