‘Why are we going after them?’: Idaho lawmakers question targeting this group
Idaho lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would eliminate some state funding for the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, despite concerns that it was unjustified and wouldn’t save much money.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Ehlers, R-Meridian, would save the state $80,000. The Hispanic commission’s total budget is around half a million dollars, with only three employees, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. If passed, the commission would lose the funding starting in 2028.
In January, lawmakers rejected an attempt to eliminate the commission, which was established by statute in 1987 and serves as a bridge between the government and the state’s growing Latino population.
The bill would remove $80,000 of state tobacco tax revenue from the commission’s budget and prevent people who donate to the commission from receiving a tax break for that charitable donation.
The commission would still exist and receive $200,000 in general fund money if the state’s powerful budget setting committee agrees, Ehlers told the Statesman. The state’s general fund, which draws most of its revenue from sales, income and corporate taxes, crossed $5.6 billion in fiscal year 2026, according to previous Statesman reporting.
“Did the Hispanic commission do something wrong?” asked Rep. John Shirts, R-Weiser, during Thursday’s meeting of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, where Ehlers went to request that his proposal be introduced as a bill. “I’m trying to figure out why are we here, why are we doing this?”
Shirts added that the Republican Party and President Donald Trump had secured the presidency and congressional majorities thanks to inroads with the Hispanic community nationwide.
“Why are we going after them?” he said. “Is something wrong with the Hispanic commission?”
Ehlers said he wouldn’t say there was anything wrong with the Hispanic Commission, but he said Idaho’s Elon Musk-styled DOGE Task Force had recommended phasing out some commission funding. The commission does a good job of private fundraising, said Ehlers, who was the co-chair of the DOGE Task Force.
When asked why he had proposed the legislation now, Ehlers said it had taken time to get through other DOGE recommendations. There should not be any more DOGE recommendations coming, Ehlers said.
“In this year of the budget, we’re just looking at any and all options,” Ehlers said.
Amid a revenue shortfall, Gov. Brad Little in August ordered most state agencies to cut spending. The move came after lawmakers in 2025 cut taxes and established a tax credit for private education, removing $453 million in revenue from the state budget. Little recommended cuts of 3% for this fiscal year and next, but the state’s budget committee voted to cut further for each year.
It’s unclear how far the Hispanic commission bill could get. Little previously told reporters he would not support defunding or eliminating the commission.
After longtime commission director Margie Gonzalez retired in 2025, Little put his press secretary in charge in the interim, the Idaho Press previously reported. Little appointed Annette Valenzuela Tipton, a Republican who previously ran for the Legislature, in May 2025. Tipton declined to comment Thursday.
Just under 75% of Latino Idahoans were born in the U.S. and 83% are U.S. citizens, according to the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
The two Democratic members of the committee voted against introducing the bill. Other members of the committee expressed skepticism, even as they voted along party lines to introduce it. Ehlers told the Idaho Statesman that a public hearing will take place in the same committee.
Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan, told the Statesman after the meeting that he didn’t support the effort and that “we need to keep the Hispanic Commission alive and well.”
Another committee member, Rep. Jon Weber, R-Rexburg, said he would go into the hearing with an open mind but was leaning against the bill.
“It’s just not, in my mind, worth doing away with $80,000 for the benefit we receive,” Weber told the Statesman.
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 4:00 AM.
