Policy

Idaho schools paying $1.2 million per year for IEA/NEA dues

By Maxford Nelsen

February 4, 2026

Guest Column by Maxford Nelsen, Director of Research and Government Affairs, Freedom Foundation Unlike some other functions of state government, Idaho’s constitution requires the legislature to “maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.” It is not surprising, therefore, that roughly half of the state of Idaho’s budget — about $2.8 […]

TAGS: Boise School District, Education, IEA, NEA, Twin Falls School District

Mad Max Hits the Rockies: It’s a Gas War

By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.

January 30, 2026

Here we go, Idaho — it looks like we have a trade war on our hands. Utah lawmakers want to shift their gasoline tax to out-of-state consumers, like us. That’s right, in an effort to cut their own gasoline tax in half, Utah lawmakers (including their Speaker of the House) are hatching a plan to […]

TAGS: fuel, gas, gas tax, Utah

Babies Need Heroes

By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.

January 23, 2026

This weekend is your annual opportunity to March for Life. Across the country and in Idaho, millions of God-fearing, loving, patriotic, and compassionate Americans will take to the streets to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Babies need these heroes, but they truly need the extra measure of heroism from their mothers, who […]

TAGS: Adoption advocacy, Advocacy for the voiceless, Boise events, Choose Life, Choose motherhood, Community events Boise, Crisis pregnancy support, Idaho Capitol rally, Idaho March for Life, Idaho pro-life rally, Julia Davis Park event, March for Life, March for Life 2026, Michael Willetts story, Motherhood as heroism, Pro-life activism, pro-life Idaho, Pro-life inspiration, Pro-life movement, Protecting the unborn, Reluctant hero, Right to Life, Sacrificial love, Support adoption, The Soldier Harvey Andrews, Unborn children

Idaho Freedom Foundation Calls for Investigation into University Defiance of Landmark DEI Ban

By Idaho Freedom Foundation staff

January 21, 2026

BOISE, ID — The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF), in partnership with the Goldwater Institute, is sounding the alarm on blatant attempts by Idaho’s higher education establishment to circumvent Senate Bill 1198 (S1198), or the Freedom from Indoctrination Act; the nation’s most comprehensive ban on mandatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) instruction: In a formal letter […]

TAGS: 90 percent rule, academic freedom, academic indoctrination, Attorney General Raúl Labrador, Boise ID, Boise State University, critical theory, DEI ban, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, education reform, Freedom from Indoctrination Act, Goldwater Institute, higher ed accountability, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho higher education, Idaho law, Idaho legislature, Idaho State Board of Education, Idaho State University, legislative intent, mandatory coursework exemptions, psychology coursework, public university investigation, race and sex discrimination, Ron Nate, S1198, Senate Bill 1198, social justice in education, social work curriculum, university compliance, University of Idaho

Federal Tax Conformity for Tax Cuts Should Happen Now

By Fred Birnbaum

January 21, 2026

Why are Idahoans being told to wait for Trump’s tax cuts? At the beginning of each legislative session, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) adopts — or attempts to adopt — a three-year revenue estimate: the current fiscal year and the two upcoming — in this case, an update for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), FY27, and […]

TAGS: car loan interest deduction, EORAC, Federal tax conformity, FY26 revenue projections, Idaho economic outlook, Idaho Fiscal Policy, Idaho General Fund, Idaho Governor budget, Idaho Income Tax, Idaho legislature, Idaho revenue forecast, Idaho spending growth, Idaho standard deduction, Idaho state budget, Idaho tax cuts, JFAC, Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, OBBB, One Big Beautiful Bill, overtime tax reduction, social security tax deduction, tax deduction for tips, Trump

Governor Little’s Budget Proposal Leaves the Heavy Lifting to the Legislature

By Fred Birnbaum

January 13, 2026

Let’s start with the good news: Governor Brad Little is not raiding the state’s budget stabilization fund (also called the “rainy day” fund) to balance the budget. On top of that, at least some measure of state conformity, or matching tax cuts, to Trump’s federal tax cuts is included in his budget proposal — although […]

TAGS: balanced budget requirement, fiscal discipline, FY26 budget, FY27 budget, government accountability, Governor Brad Little, Idaho budget, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Fiscal Policy, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho General Fund, Idaho legislature, Idaho tax cuts, In-demand Careers Program, rainy day fund, state budget analysis, state budget proposal, state revenue forecast, state spending cuts, taxpayer spending

School Choice for All Idaho Families

By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.

January 8, 2026

A local left-leaning podcast host had me on his show recently to talk about, among other things, Idaho’s new school choice opportunity — the Parental Choice Tax Credit (PCTC), which passed in 2025. He asked how in the world Idaho’s school choice could be “held accountable” if there were no mandatory testing or other state […]

TAGS: education accountability, education freedom, education spending Idaho, education tax credits, Idaho education reform, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho income tax credit, Idaho Legislature education, Idaho school choice, Idaho tax deduction 2025, microschools Idaho, Parental Choice Tax Credit, parental rights in education, PCTC, private school choice, public school funding Idaho, school choice expansion, school choice incentives, school competition, school vouchers Idaho

Questions Come as Twin Falls School District Protects Teacher’s Explicit Content Instead of Children

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

January 1, 2026

For any reasonable individual, protecting children from people who engage in sexual deviance and celebrate political violence should be a no-brainer. Yet the events that unfolded in Twin Falls, Idaho, involving one concerned mother and substitute teacher, leave us wondering. On October 1, 2025, Cierra Clarke — a substitute teacher and parent of a 1st […]

TAGS: Cierra Clarke, educational ethics, Homeschooling Idaho, Idaho education news, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Moms for Liberty Idaho, Parental Rights, parental vigilance, protecting children, public school vetting, Rock Creek Elementary School, school administration controversy, school board accountability, school district transparency, substitute teacher dismissal, teacher certification Idaho, teacher conduct, Timothy Hafer, Twin Falls Idaho, Twin Falls School District

Week in Review: Protecting Idaho Families and Children

By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.

December 28, 2025

Idaho families are struggling. For the past five years, they have been under attack by the burdens of outrageous inflation, hostile policies carried out by Child Protective Services, a judicial system that is completely opposed to protecting the traditional family, abortion petitions by far-left globalist interest groups, and completely unaffordable housing, as new home starts […]

TAGS: abortion policy, Child Protective Services, cost of living Idaho, CPS reform Idaho, Fred Birnbaum, home affordability Idaho, Idaho courts, Idaho family values, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho government reform, Idaho housing market, Idaho legislative session, Idaho politics, Idaho public policy, IFF 2026 legislative agenda, inflation in Idaho, judicial reform Idaho, Margaret Sanger, medical kidnapping, parental rights Idaho, Planned Parenthood Idaho, pro-life Idaho, Rachel Hazelip, real estate prices Idaho, traditional family

Child Protection or Child Profit? Parental Rights at Stake

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

December 27, 2025

Every year, parental rights are trampled as hundreds of children are taken from their families in the state of Idaho without due process. What is often presented as “child protection” has quietly evolved into a multi-million-dollar industry in which hospitals, government agencies, contractors, and courts are financially incentivized to separate families. Under the banner of […]

TAGS: Baby Cyrus case, child custody laws Idaho, Child Protective Services Idaho, child welfare funding, constitutional parental rights, CPS reform, Cyrus Anderson, due process for parents, family law Idaho, family preservation, foster care system Idaho, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho legislature, Idaho parental rights, IDHW, judicial accountability, medical kidnapping, parental authority, Senate Bill 1108, Senate Bill 1208, state overreach, Title IV-B, Title IV-E, Troxell v. Granville

Idaho Freedom Foundation to Hold Press Conference for Freedom & Family Legislative Agenda

By Idaho Freedom Foundation staff

December 23, 2025

BOISE, ID – (December 23, 2025) – As Idaho families gather to celebrate the Christmas holiday and prepare for the new year, the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) today announced it will host a press conference to outline our 2026 Freedom & Family Agenda. Following the successful launch of our agenda in September, this press conference […]

TAGS: Idaho Freedom Foundation, IFF, Legislature, Press Conference

The Hierarchy of Rights: Life Begets Liberty

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

December 23, 2025

One of the greatest sentences penned in U.S. history comes from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Notice among the unalienable rights, […]

TAGS: 2026 Idaho ballot initiative, abolitionist movement, abortion abolition, adoption, Declaration of Independence, eugenics, human dignity, human rights, Idaho 2026 election, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho legislature, Idaho politics, Idaho Prenatal Equal Protection Act, Idaho Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, Idahoans United for Women and Families, IFF, life from conception, Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood, pro-life, pro-life legislation, pro-natalist, Right to Life, Roe v. Wade, S1059, sanctity of life, Sen. Brandon Shippy, Senate Bill 1059, unalienable rights

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Policy

Idaho schools paying $1.2 million per year for IEA/NEA dues

Mad Max Hits the Rockies: It’s a Gas War

Babies Need Heroes

Idaho Freedom Foundation Calls for Investigation into University Defiance of Landmark DEI Ban

Federal Tax Conformity for Tax Cuts Should Happen Now

Governor Little’s Budget Proposal Leaves the Heavy Lifting to the Legislature

School Choice for All Idaho Families

Questions Come as Twin Falls School District Protects Teacher’s Explicit Content Instead of Children

Week in Review: Protecting Idaho Families and Children

Child Protection or Child Profit? Parental Rights at Stake

Idaho Freedom Foundation to Hold Press Conference for Freedom & Family Legislative Agenda

The Hierarchy of Rights: Life Begets Liberty

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