Republicans in the Idaho Legislature are trying to destroy OPE. Don’t let them | Opinion
Have you heard of the Office of Performance Evaluation? OPE is a true gem in the state of Idaho. For the last 30 years, this neutral and bipartisan office has researched and delivered reports that drive major investments in areas such as health care, education, prison capacity and the child foster care system.
This valuable and effective commission has won many awards including the 2016 Outstanding Evaluation Award from the American Evaluation Association. It promotes confidence and accountability in state government.
Some of our legislative leaders seem to be trying to pull a fast one by changing the OPE to a partisan entity through HB68. Don’t let this happen. We need this independent commission to continue working as a nonpartisan office doing the important work of evaluating state government programs to insure they are cost-efficient and effective.
Contact your state legislators and ask them to leave the Office of Performance Evaluations as it is. HB68 is a bad idea for Idaho and Idahoans.
Kayla Dodson, Boise
Evaluate the Legislature
Well, it’s deja vu all over again. As usual, the Republican legislators are hijacking the session with a bunch of self-serving, idiotic proposed legislation. It has always been apparent that the “ruling” party will do whatever it can to avoid solving the taxpayers’ problems, and fog the mirror with garbage and personal agendas. Looking into the future here is what I see: The trash will blow around the statehouse until about 2 weeks before the session should adjourn, then there will be a mad scramble to pass legislation that will inadequately address Idaho’s needs. What will be interesting is if the legislators are called back into session after that. If anybody doesn’t think this will happen, you believe in fairies and unicorns. Maybe the performance evaluation should be conducted on them.
Scott William Murray, Boise
Save OPE
There’s a reason state agencies and institutions often hire an outside company to study an issue or conduct an investigation. That way no one will think the agency influenced the study’s conclusions.
So it’s surprising that the Idaho Legislature might eliminate the bipartisan Joint Legislative Oversight Committee and move the Office of Performance Evaluations to the distinctly partisan Legislative Council. Put another way, the OPE will be directed by the majority party — hardly a prescription for objectivity.
The OPE has produced some critically important studies over the years. Its findings and conclusions are generally respected because it is an independent entity, one without any political axes to grind, thanks to its home under a bipartisan committee.
I wonder how long it will take before OPE is asked to go easy on someone’s political project or make a political point or bolster some new political idea. After all, HB68 got out of committee on a party-line vote, a clue to what we can expect down the road.
Poor OPE. It has every chance of going from a state watchdog to a political lap dog.
Lindy High, Boise
Save Medicaid
Despite the initiative passage by the people of Idaho of Medicaid expansion, I understand Rep John Vander Woude of Nampa introduced a bill to eliminate the expansion. I noted with great interest that Rep Vander Woude served 16 years on the Nampa Christian School Board. It’s good to know there are Christians out there only concerned with the good of the people of Idaho. Stripping coverage from over 100,000 Idahoans does seem like a very Christian thing to do. Idaho seems to get what it deserves when we keep voting in people who think they know better than the voters.
Donna Carlson, Boise