Bill Description: House Bill 163 would provide admission preference to families with at least one (1) parent or legal guardian on military active duty or active guard and reserve duty.
Rating: -1
Does it violate the spirit or the letter of either the United States Constitution or the Idaho Constitution? Examples include restrictions on speech, public assembly, the press, privacy, private property, or firearms. conversely, does it restore or uphold the protections guaranteed in the US Constitution or the Idaho Constitution?
It is a fundamental principle of republican government that no individual is entitled to special privileges before the law, regardless of their title or position. This principle applies to members of our military just as it does to any other civil servant. As George Washington once wisely observed, “when we assumed the soldier, we did not lay aside the citizen.” Therefore, House Bill 163 violates the principle of equal citizenship by granting special consideration to the children of military members for admission in a charter school, which are otherwise determined by lottery.
(-1)
