Key Idaho lawmaker: Vito Barbieri

Vito Barbieri

Hometown: Dalton Gardens

Party: Republican

Age: 65

District: District 2 in Kootenai County

Background: Barbieri is a fourth-term state representative who’s unabashedly ultra-conservative; he now chairs the House Business Committee. This year, he cast one of only a handful of “no” votes on three major pieces of the public school budget, those for the divisions of administrators, teachers and children. Barbieri is famous for calling on Christians to pull their children out of Idaho’s “Godless” public schools, a call he’s stoutly defended.

Last election: Barbieri defeated Democratic challenger Kathy (Kraack) Kahn with 72.2 percent of the vote to win his fourth term.

Committee assignments: Business (chair), local government, state affairs

Education: Graduated from Westchester High School, Los Angeles, in 1969. Holds an associate’s degree from El Camino Junior College, and bachelor’s and law degrees from Western State University in Fullerton, California.

Work experience: Practiced law in California for 20 years. Since moving to Idaho in 2004, has operated several small businessess, including a catering business and the “Vap-It” electronic cigarette store in Post Falls.

Family: Married. Has three grown children.