Capitol Letters | The Idaho Legislature Report
By Hayat Norimine, Accountability Editor; and Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter
Senate approves post-election audits bill
Senators yesterday unanimously passed a bill regarding Idaho’s election results.
The bill would create a system of random audits following general and primary elections. The proposal follows “widespread and unusually specific allegations about election fraud that had supposedly taken place” in 2020, Deputy Secretary of State Jason Hancock said.
Last year, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s false claims of widespread voter fraud in Idaho’s 2020 November general election had gained national traction. In response, the secretary of state’s office audited three counties and confirmed there was no fraud.
“This piece of legislation would formalize that kind of a process,” Hancock said.
Read Idaho Statesman State Politics Reporter Ryan Suppe’s full story on the bill here.
Ammon Bundy drops out of GOP primary
Ammon Bundy is out as a Republican candidate for governor. But he’s still in the race as an independent.
That means he won’t run in the GOP primary; he’ll run in the November general election, against whichever Republican makes it through on May 17.
“The Republican Party platform is the platform I stand behind, but the Republican establishment in Idaho is full of filth and corruption and they refuse to put forth the party platform,” he said in the release.
Former Idaho House Speaker Bruce Newcomb said the primary campaign “exposed Ammon Bundy as a failure.”
Read Suppe’s full story here.
Bill to shield lethal injection drug suppliers moves forward
A committee approved a bill to shield lethal injection drug suppliers from public disclosure after a public hearing and discussion yesterday. A House vote is next.
House Bill 658 would help keep pharmacies, medical personnel and prison officials who take part in Idaho executions confidential. Public testimony from opponents included representatives from the ACLU of Idaho and Idaho Press Club.
Read Statesman Investigative Reporter Kevin Fixler’s full story on the bill here.
What else happened?
The House approved a bill that would make it more difficult for local jurisdictions to seek bonds. The bill would bar school districts, for example, from asking for a bond vote if voters already struck down a similar bond in the past 11 months. The bill’s headed to the Senate now.
Keep track of high-profile bills as they go through the legislative process. You can find yesterday’s updates here.
On a lighter note, please enjoy this tweet about a dog that followed around Idaho’s U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo in D.C. yesterday.
Committees to watch today
8 a.m. Joint Finance-Appropriations. The agenda today includes supplemental appropriations and budget decisions. Here’s where to watch remotely.
9 a.m. House State Affairs. The public can testify today. Lawmakers will consider draft legislation for the state to approve any voluntary federal unemployment programs. Here’s where to watch remotely.
1 p.m. House Ethics and House Policy. The committee’s scheduled to review House Rule 45, the process for House members to face ethics complaints. Here’s where to watch remotely.
Both the House and the Senate are expected on the floor at 10:30 a.m.
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This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Capitol Letters | The Idaho Legislature Report."
