News Stories

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC or the “budget-making committee”) made critical votes last week that threaten the future of Idaho’s children.

Read more: Republicans’ education cuts threaten Idaho’s future

Keith Roark Chair of the Idaho Democratic Party called on the Idaho’s Republican legislators to join Democrats to enact higher ethical standards to limit the influence of special interests in the legislative process.

Read more: Idaho Democratic chair demands higher ethical standards

Last week, after a full public hearing, a legislative committee wisely defeated a bill aimed at preventing retired state employees from receiving a small cost of living adjustment from their own retirement funds. Then, in a secret meeting with a political gadfly, Republican legislators put ideology ahead of their obligation as public officials and completely flip flopped. Without putting the bill on the written agenda – which is required to give 24 hour notice to the public – they brought the same bill up and forced a vote. The next day they suspended the rules of the House and passed the bill.

“It was a breach of public trust and the sloppiest legislative conduct in a session rife with ineptitude,” said Jim Hansen, Executive Director of the Idaho Democratic Party and former state legislator.
The Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) recommended an adjustment for retirees and opposed HCR 42, as did many other people who testified in the House State Affairs Committee. It was defeated based on the facts. “The public had a right to assume no further action would be taken without full public notice. Yet, Republicans legislators on the committee met in secret using rumors gathered from the Internet and put it on the fast track to passage,” Hansen explained.

Hansen praised Democratic legislators for standing up for Idaho’s retirees and for demonstrating competence and leadership as they keep focused on creating jobs in Idaho. “Idahoans need jobs. Our state faces the worst budget mess in history, yet Republicans keep shirking their responsibility to face up to it. What is so offensive about HCR 42 is that this is the retiree’s money! These funds cannot balance the budget that Republicans have allowed to get so out of balance.”

“House Republicans jammed the bill through the House as fast as possible. A Senate committee will hear the bill tomorrow but I am not holding my breath. This bill has become a partisan litmus test for Republican legislators to distract from the real budget issues facing our state. It is unlikely the Senate Republicans will behave any more responsibly than their House colleagues,” Hansen said.
“I continue to be amazed at how Idaho Republican legislators are mismanaging the public’s tax dollars and how they keep looking for excuses to not deal with the budget mess that their 16 years in power has created,” Hansen said.

Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Keith Roark called on Republicans legislators to stop grand-standing with their law suit publicity stunt, to stop wasting taxpayers’ money and get to work.

“The people of Idaho are looking for vision and leadership to address the financial crisis that is costing Idahoans their jobs and their financial security,” Roark said. “Idahoans need paychecks, not more unemployment checks and they definitely don’t need costly political gimmicks.”

“Idaho Republicans are chasing a political boogieman by threatening a lawsuit over a health care bill that has not even been enacted. When Republicans turn their fear mongering into senseless legislation – consuming precious time and resources during the state’s fiscal crisis – they misuse the legislative process and the trust of those who elected them.”

“Any doubt that this is grandstanding, was removed when Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko weighed in yesterday as if on cue proclaiming he planned to use the bill to convince voters to vote against Democratic legislators.”

Roark applauded Idaho’s Democratic legislators for showing vision and promoting positive solutions to the real problems facing Idaho today: solutions that create jobs for working families rather than more work for government lawyers. The Democratic proposal known as IJOBs is focused on concrete ways to help Idahoans recover from the worst economic recession in half a century. “If the Republicans’ idea of creating jobs in Idaho is to hire lawyers to sue the federal government, we are in a lot more trouble this legislative session than I originally thought.”

“In fact, if Republicans continue to waste time and money with these kinds of publicity stunts rather than helping Idahoans find jobs, then Idaho voters will vote them out of office. Republicans have had been in control of the Idaho Legislature for decades and the effects of that control are all too apparent in the fiscal crisis that confronts us right now.  Mr. Semenko should direct his time and attention at getting the legislators of his own party to start taking their positions seriously.”

Will Idaho’s Republican governor, legislators and county commissioners get away with dismantling some of our state’s best assets? Not if you work to ensure they are held accountable this year.

For generations, Idahoans have worked hard to build effective public schools, community colleges, and universities. They are critical to ensure good jobs in Idaho. We have also created public parks, public broadcasting, rural access to technology, opportunities for people with disabilities, human rights protections. This list goes on and on.

Idahoans are angry that Idaho’s Republican elite have left our families and businesses exposed to the economic downturn that has hit our state. Their neglect helped wipe out thousands of jobs and now they are preparing to dismantle some of the very things that help create and keep jobs in Idaho!

Republicans have had control of Idaho’s executive and legislative branch of government for 16 years. During that time, they gave away our economic security with massive tax breaks, tax shifts and tax cuts for special interests.
Many people are astonished at how these Republican incumbents can be so prideful and think that the voter anger won’t sweep them out of office?

They are counting on YOU – Democrats as well as Independents and Republicans who now prefer Democratic candidates – to feel too overwhelmed to get active and ensure they face competition in the November election.
Of course, they’ve helped rig the system by forcing people to file by March 19 even though the damage from the 2010 legislative session won’t be known until months later and even though the voters will not be focused on kicking them out of office until November 2.

So, it is up to you to decide NOW.

If you are not ready to run for the legislature or local office this year, have you asked the people you admire in your community to file and run? Have you told them this is too important to sit on the sidelines and that you will help them put together a campaign?

Remember, Idaho has a citizen’s legislature. We do not have – nor do we need – and elite class of Republican legislators who assume they will be returned to office year after year.

Yes, it will take work. No, victory cannot be guaranteed (most jobs cannot). But there are many skilled people in Idaho who can help you launch a campaign if you make the commitment of time and resources to run.

There will be a training program on February 26 & 27 for people like you who should run or work on a campaign this year.  Other training and mentoring opportunities are available, too.
So, if not you, who? If not now, when?

Boise, ID - One of the nation's best-known Western leaders will be in Boise next month to address the annual banquet named in honor of the Idaho's greatest U.S. Senator.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) will be the featured speaker at the 2010 Frank Church Banquet, the annual gala hosted by the Idaho Democratic Party. This year's event is February 27 at the Boise Centre.

"It's an honor to speak with fellow Democrats about the values important to the West," Tester said.  "We have a lot to be proud of, and we have a lot of work to do together.  I look forward to visiting Idaho and talking about the challenges and opportunities we face as westerners--from job creation to renewable energy development to bringing common sense back to Washington, D.C."

Tester agreed to attend the event at the request of Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick, a fellow Western Democrat who has also championed the renewal of agriculture as a core issue within the Democratic Party.

"I grew up on a dryland farm, so I have a lot of respect for the men and women who do that work today," Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick said, "I very much appreciate Senator Tester's work to represent farmers and ranchers, and look forward to welcoming him to Idaho to talk politics, policy and the price of wheat.'

The choice of speaker was praised by Keith Allred, another ag-friendly Democrat who is running to unseat Idaho Governor Butch Otter. "I am delighted that Senator Tester will be our featured speaker. He is smart, independent, and understands the western way of life", said Allred.

Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Keith Roark also praised the choice, and said Tester's message will resonate with Idaho voters, Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike. "In recent years we have watched the emergence of a new class of Western Democratic Senators, Congressmen and Governors who understand agriculture from personal experience and Sen. Tester is a leader among that class.  Our own Congressman Walt Minnick and gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred are prime examples of this emerging class of leaders and we all join in welcoming Sen. Tester to the Gem State for this event."

About Tester:
Jon Tester was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 after serving four terms in the Montana State Senate. In 2005, after Democrats won control of that body, Tester was chosen by his colleagues to be Montana Senate President.

Tester grew up near Big Sandy, Montana, where the rich landscape and life as a farmer’s son instilled in him a deep-rooted commitment to Montana, family, faith and hard work.
Today Jon Tester continues to honor the agricultural roots his grandfather planted in Big Sky Country by continuing the Tester family dry-land farming operations.

A respected member in the community, Tester served for five years as chairman of the Big Sandy School Board of Trustees, is a past master of Treasure Lodge #95 of the Masons in Big Sandy, and served on the Big Sandy Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Committee and the Chouteau County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) Committee.

In the U.S. Senate, Tester has been a pioneer in ethics reform, Tester’s first act in Congress was passing the most sweeping ethics overhaul since the Watergate scandal.  Tester is also the first U.S. Senator to post his daily schedule online and to conduct a self-imposed ethics audit of his office.

Tester values integrity, common sense, transparency in government, and working across party lines to do what’s right for Montana.  He is a staunch supporter of Second Amendment rights, individual privacy, and public access to public land.

In the U.S. Senate, Tester is an outspoken leader for rural America, working families, small businesses and family agriculture.

Tester has a strong vision for America’s energy future.  He crafted and passed measures to develop clean and sustainable new energy resources and to promote conservation.

Idaho’s Democratic Legislators unveiled their innovative Idaho Jobs and Opportunity Blueprint (IJOBs) on January 27, 2010.

The IJOBs plan includes ideas for improving communications and strengthening projects that support and increase jobs.  It has specific benefits for small business job development, tax incentives for job creation and help for small businesses seeking capital in these times of tight credit.

Read more: Legislative Democrats Unveil Visionary Plan to Create Idaho Jobs

You are invited to attend the Idaho memorial service for Rev. Forrest Church at 2:00pm, Saturday, Jan. 16 in the Simplot Ballroom of the BSU Student Union Building. Rev. Church was the son of the late Sen. Frank and Bethine Church, the long-time pastor of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York City and a the author of nearly two dozen books on faith, history and social justice. He passed away last fall after a long battle with cancer.

Read more: Idaho to Remember Rev. Forrest Church, Saturday, January 16