Idaho’s Capitol building: One place where hundreds gather daily despite COVID-19 warnings

The president of the United States and governor of Idaho have asked the public avoid congregating in groups greater than 50, or even 10, people to avoid contact with or spreading of coronavirus.

Yet, each day, hundreds of people stream into the Idaho Capitol for the 2020 legislative session.

The Legislature is trying to wrap things up this week, but with health concerns rising and no options other than to endure or resign, one House attache on Monday chose to resign. On Tuesday, two senators announced they were leaving the session and going home.

Hurry up and wait legislative session

The Idaho Legislature convened Jan. 7 to start the 2020 session, which typically lasts through late March.

When the session is under way, every morning and throughout the day, about 110 legislators and other elected officials, hundreds of state employees, members of the public, lobbyists and media, along with the governor and his staff come into the building to conduct state business, attend public hearings or otherwise take part in the session.

Because this is an election year, lawmakers want to get done as quickly as possible, so they set March 20 as sine die, or adjournment, so they could get back to their respective districts and start campaigning. If things did not go as according to plan, which oft happens in the Idaho Legislature, staying a few extra days was doable.

But then the coronavirus pandemic happened.

On Jan. 21, just two weeks into the session, the U.S. announced its first coronavirus case, a patient in Washington.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control had reported 4,226 coronavirus cases and 75 deaths due to the virus. The CDC updates those numbers once a day. The Washington Post is doing real-time tracking based on reports from state health departments. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the Washington Post reported 5,704 cases and 95 deaths.

Idaho reported its first case on Friday, and on Saturday, it confirmed four more cases. Tuesday three more cases were reported, bringing the total to seven.

Of the seven cases, three are in Ada County, three are in Blaine County and one each in Madison and Teton counties.

The first Ada County case involves a woman who is a student at Idaho State University’s Meridian campus. According to state health officials, she had attended a conference in New York City where three other attendees tested positive for the virus. The other two Ada cases, a man and a woman, are both believed to have contracted the virus out of state. All three patients are under the age of 60 recovering at home.

On Friday, Gov. Brad Little declared a statewide emergency and asked Idahoans to help “flatten the curve” of the inevitable spike in coronavirus cases by avoiding public gatherings and practicing “social distancing.”

President Donald Trump on Monday warned people to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people.

As Boise, Treasure Valley and Idaho school districts and business shut down and hundreds of events are canceled or delayed due to the virus, it has been business as usual at the Capitol.

Monday morning, hundreds of people congregated in the Capitol. They returned Tuesday morning and will do so every weekday until the Legislature concludes its business for the year, which could be as soon as Wednesday depending on how much squabbling takes place.

Based on Tuesday’s House session it looks like the squabbling will continue. The House killed the state tax commission’s budget and did a rush printing on more bills.

Those delays may have pushed at least two senators over the edge.

Democratic Sens. Maryanne Jordan, Boise, and David Nelson, Moscow, announced Tuesday afternoon they are leaving the session and going home.

Nelson said continuing the session “is irresponsible, reckless and an unmistakable disregard for the health and safety of our constituents.”

“I am greatly concerned about the blatant disregard for all recommended safety precautions that the CDC, White House, and governments around the U.S. and the rest of the world have issues to slow the spread of the virus,” Nelson said in a news release. “We are putting the lives of people in this building at risk. The longer we stay, the more likely it is that we will also chance carrying the virus home with us when the session does finally wrap up.”

Jordan echoed Nelson’s concerns about disregarding best practices from nearly every governmental agency.

“I am no longer willing to put my family and my own health at risk by staying in an unsafe situation,” she said.

Jordan and Nelson are two of 35 senators, leaving well more than a quorum in place to finish out the session.

House Speaker Scott Bedke’s communication

House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, on Monday afternoon sent an email to House attaches —employees that assist House members — acknowledging that some “have expressed concern and discomfort about coming to work in the current atmosphere, due to the Covid-19 virus situation.”

An attache who provided the email to Statesman said this is the first communication regarding the outbreak attaches have received from their bosses, House leadership.

Bedke told the attaches “the decision to continue coming to work must be an individual one, and each of you should make that decision based on your individual age, health status, home situation and other factors.”

Bedke noted that the end of the legislative session is near and may be finished as soon as Tuesday.

“Therefore,” Bedke wrote, “If you do not want to continue in your position through the end of the session (whenever that occurs), please notify my office as well as your individual supervisors that you are ready to terminate your employment.”

Bedke told the attaches they are “completely free to make that decision.”

If anyone wants to stay, Bedke stated, “you are free to work as long as your supervisor judges that your service is needed, until the session ends sine die.”

“I understand that this is a difficult time for all of us, and is made more so because of the end-of-session pressure and tension. I want each of you to make whatever decision you are most comfortable with,” Bedke concluded.

At least one attache chose to resign.

Shortly after receiving the email, Cameron Cochems sent a response to Bedke, which he provided to the Statesman.

“I believe that leadership and the Legislators do not have our best interest at heart,” Cochems wrote in his resignation letter.

“The COVID-19 virus has been declared a pandemic; the CDC has issued a declaration stating that groups of 50 more should not be meet, and the White House’s own guidance said no more than 10,” Cochems told Bedke.

The Legislature is acting irresponsibly by still treating this pandemic as if it does not affect those who enter the Statehouse, he said.

“There is no more time for talk, we need to treat the health of our state with the utmost importance,” Cochems wrote.

“The risk of community spread within our coworkers, and an even greater risk of legislators bringing this home to their communities rises by the minute,” Cochems stated.

Bedke told the Statesman he had received just one resignation letter from an attache. He had no other comment.

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 7:38 AM.