At one time, an unwritten rule in the Idaho Legislature was that freshmen lawmakers should be seen and not heard in their first year at the Statehouse.

Apparently, 16 freshmen House Republicans never received that memo. Or, maybe they chose to ignore it. At any rate, this group of newcomers are making plenty of noise and influencing the direction Idaho goes on a state-run health insurance exchange.

The freshmen Republicans are asking for more oversight on fee increases and costs, more members on the governing board to include two non-voting legislators and open board meetings. Their proposal also gives Idaho the ability to abandon the state-run exchange plan if collaboration between the state and federal government breaks down.

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