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Editorial: Idaho taking local control away again

Thu., March 19, 2015

When did local control cease to be a conservative principle? We ask because Idaho legislators keep big-footing issues that school districts, colleges and city and county governments are capable of handling.

Last year, legislators took from colleges the decision on whether guns could be carried on campuses. They adopted a disastrous broadband Internet plan to be used in all schools. They pondered – but thankfully shelved – bills that would’ve set architectural design standards for all cities and expunged local anti-discrimination ordinances.

That control-freak impulse is back this year, and we wonder why legislators have such a low opinion of local officials.

On Monday, the state Senate passed a bill that prevents local governments from imposing knife-control restrictions. Yes, knife, not gun. To sharpen his point that communities shouldn’t have conflicting regulations, Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, brandished his Buck knife on the Senate floor. The attorney general’s office says a blanket prohibition conflicts with other state laws that allow schools to decide the matter.

Also on Monday, the House passed emergency legislation that supersedes city and county ordinances on ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. What was the urgency? The city of Boise adopted some restrictions the companies opposed. So a lobbyist took the short hike to the Capitol and persuaded the House to mow down local control. If the bill becomes law, the state will set the rules. No sharing.

In more action on a busy Monday, the Senate passed a meddlesome bill that asserts parental rights in public schools. Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, said she wanted it clear the parents could pull their children from school if a lesson or activity were to violate parents’ “firmly held beliefs, values or principles.” The onus would be on schools to provide alternatives for offended families.

Local school districts already make contingency plans for parents who do not want their children exposed to certain topics or texts. This bill’s vague language could require further mitigation for parents “offended” by subjects such as evolution.

The bill has no fiscal note, but it would certainly seem to require more spending by schools on alternative lessons and activities. We recommend home-schooling to any family that believes its values would be under assault at public schools.

On Tuesday, the Legislature passed a law that endorsed telemedicine. It allows licensing boards to have control over their own rules and regulations. Quite a step for lawmakers who insist on uniform knife-control laws. However, there is a catch. While the law would allow doctors to review records and communicate with patients via a televised connection, there is one area where the lawmakers say they know best. Doctors would be barred from prescribing drugs that induce abortions without an in-person consultation.

So, once again, local control is under assault at the Idaho statehouse. If this violates your firmly held values, give lawmakers an earful.