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Recently, Boise city attorney Natalie Mendoza asserted that a direct vote on the library and stadium projects would be unconstitutional, based on state law. This statement came as feedback on the ballot initiative submitted to the city by Boise Working Together—a group that wants voter input on two big-budget projects. Her reason for claiming unconstitutionality: […]

When President Trump told Americans in his State of the Union address that “we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country,” one would assume he was talking to the openly socialist members of Congress, such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But Trump’s stated “resolve that America will never be a […]

On Wednesday, Idaho Freedom Foundation Chairman Brent Regan and eastern Idaho attorney Bryan Smith filed a legal challenge to Proposition 2, alleging that constitutional problems plague the law’s language. “Proposition 2 would give federal politicians and bureaucrats immense power over Idaho,” said Regan on Wednesday. “Said federal power would very likely violate the state constitution.” […]

For the last several years, I’ve used my pre-Thanksgiving Day column to write about a decades-old dumb Idaho law that cast a cloud on the season. Happily, this is my last column on this topic. Thankfully, Idaho lawmakers repealed that dumb law earlier this year. The Idaho law in question was called the Unfair Sales […]

Canyon County Commissioners will decide August 22 if All Detainment Solutions, a Missouri company, is the only source available to solve the county's jail overcrowding. When a county determines only one company exists to meet a need they have, they can use sole-source procurement. In other words, the county doesn’t have to hear bids from […]

BOISE, ID—On Monday, the Idaho Freedom Foundation and Boise City Council Member TJ Thomson voiced their collective opposition to the prospect of Boise State University using eminent domain to seize property for the school’s new collegiate baseball stadium. The Idaho State Board of Education last week granted BSU the right to use of eminent domain […]

Those who support making more Idahoans dependent on government healthcare rallied Friday at the Statehouse. They were celebrating their presumptive victory of getting enough signatures to put Medicaid expansion to a vote in November. The media joined the party, and they hailed it as a win for the Davids against the Goliaths. To hear certain […]

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been fascinated by the number of people who have written to me, on social media or in their local newspaper, complaining about my proposal to use private charities as an alternative to expansion of government welfare programs like Medicaid. People are dying, they say, and have been for years because […]

Bill description: HB 711 would protect private businesses from unfair competition with the goods sold by the state-run Correctional Industries. Rating: +1 Does it transfer a function of the private sector to the government? Examples include government ownership or control of any providers of goods or services such as the Land Board's purchase of a […]

Bill description: SB 1321 would reduce the hours of experience required to obtain reciprocal licensure by credentials from another state.  The hours would be reduced from 1,000 hours per year for the past five years to 3,500 hours total over the past five consecutive years. Rating: +1 Does it increase barriers to entry into the […]

Bill description: HB 551 would require individuals convicted of a first time DUI offense to install an ignition interlock device on all vehicles they operate. Rating: -1 Does it directly or indirectly create or increase penalties for victimless crimes or non-restorative penalties for non- violent crimes? Conversely, does it eliminate or decrease penalties for victimless […]

Two of the major Republican candidates for governor say they’re opposed to Gov. Butch Otter’s plan to add thousands of people onto government healthcare programs. But the third candidate, Lt. Gov. Brad Little, isn’t saying what his position is on the issue. Otter seeks lawmaker support for a federal waiver that would allow 35,000 Idahoans […]