Guest opinion: We’re almost to the finish line, don’t end Idaho emergency declaration

History is a good barometer of things to come, and I would say the lack of emergency declarations over the past 100 years shows that this power has not been abused. Emergencies have rarely been declared, and when they have been, it has been to quickly free up funds from insurance and government agencies and get them to the people who need it most.

Emergency declarations also protect our sacred and beautiful public lands. Fires, floods and many other afflictions can affect our amazing, forested lands, much as COVID-19 has ravaged our bodies. We cannot access federal funds to fight for our forests, if the governor loses his emergency declaration powers.

I have learned in public service that many can have good intentions, but when lawmakers pass laws, they come with unintended consequences.

In this case, unexpected consequences can be billions of taxpayer dollars and dead Idaho citizens. Why take the risk? Take up this issue next session in 2022, after we can look back and find out what can be improved upon, and find the common ground for the governor and the legislative branch. But right now the costs of being wrong are lives, and that is not an acceptable risk to me.

We can’t wait for the Idaho Legislature to convene into session to endlessly debate while Idahoans are suffering. The need for quick and nimble action is the very reason the founders created an executive branch and not just a legislative branch. It is appropriate for the governor to be able to act in times of emergency. Someone has to be in charge during these moments. We may not like their actions at all times, but to govern through the legislative and democratic process during state emergencies is simply too burdensome when life and death of countless Idahoans are on the line.

There’s no doubt that we’re currently in a state of emergency, especially now that we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If the Legislature ended the current emergency declaration today, it would effectively terminate all federal emergency funds related to coronavirus relief, including vaccine distribution and National Guard assistance. We are so close to finally getting things back to normal, but some legislators are choosing to slow down our recovery even more. By losing out on funds we’re already currently receiving, we’d create an unnecessary strain on the taxpayers — costing us millions of dollars that we’d have to pay for either through higher taxes or by rerouting money meant for schools and roads.

The end to an emergency declaration will not only end all federal coronavirus relief and vaccine distribution funds we currently receive but will have enormous impacts on how Idaho can swiftly respond to national emergencies and disasters in the future. Another pandemic will occur in the next 100 years — our country has dealt with HIV, swine flu and COVID-19 all within the last 40 years. And with the rising dangers of rampant wildfires, floods and drought, we will need this important tool to adequately ensure our state secures the resources we need to respond to natural disasters in our sacred public lands, as well.

Giving in to the coronavirus now and just pretending that it does not exist is akin to a student working toward his degree for four years but drops out before his last semester and never attains his degree. Why would you suffer so long only to not gain the reward?

We are almost to the end of this pandemic. We need our governor to have his full slate of tools to finish and ultimately gain the reward so the day can come when we can all gather together again.