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Opinions / Op-eds

Labrador Letter: Idaho Supreme Court Upholds School Choice

Dear Friends, Yesterday, the Idaho Supreme Court unanimously rejected a constitutional challenge to HB93, Idaho’s School Choice Tax Credit, allowing families who have already applied to move forward with the program. My office successfully defended the law, with my Solicitor General, Michael Zarian, arguing the case before the Court last month. This decision confirms that […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

AG Labrador Warns Idaho Families About Jail Bond Scams

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador is warning Idaho families about scammers impersonating law enforcement and court officials to steal money from relatives of incarcerated individuals. Bail bond agents and court officials across Idaho report that scammers are using publicly available jail rosters to identify targets, then contacting family members with false claims that immediate […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Op-Ed: Lincoln Day is an Idaho Tradition

On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office to become the first Republican president in American history. Two years later, in the midst of a terrible civil war, he signed an act creating the Idaho Territory. From the very beginning, Lincoln, Idaho, and the Republican Party have been linked. That shared history […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Reviewing HB 517

HB 517 was introduced to the legislature by Rep. Scott on January 22, 2026. The purpose of this legislation is to remove Idaho from the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER). PNWER, “a nonpartisan public-private partnership” and non-profit organization, was established by IC Title 67 Chapter 78 in 1991, based on the idea that there was an emerging […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Labrador Letter: 2025 Year in Review Part 2 – Defending Consumers and Meeting with Idahoans

Dear Friends, A few weeks ago, I shared part of what we accomplished in 2025 protecting children and defending Idaho’s laws. If you missed that newsletter, you can read it here. This week I want to tell you about our fights against scammers and threats to your constitutional rights. Defending Constitutional Rights Idaho was on the front […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

AG Labrador Announces Sentencing of Kootenai County Woman for Public Assistance Provider Fraud

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced that Tracy Hofius, 49, was sentenced January 21, 2026, for Public Assistance Provider Fraud. Public Assistance Provider Fraud is a felony currently punishable by up to 15 years in prison, though at the time of Hofius’ fraudulent conduct in 2022 and 2023, the penalty was 5 years […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Fulcher On House Completing FY26 Appropriations

Jan 22, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (Idaho-01) issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Defense; Homeland; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations legislation, marking the House of Representatives’ completion of all 12 annual spending bills for Fiscal Year 2026. Congressman Fulcher said, “Today […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Op-Ed: A Convention of States is Not the Answer

We all agree there are serious problems in our country: skyrocketing national debt, the breakdown of law and order in our biggest cities, and an economy built on hope and bubbles—it’s enough to drive anyone to despair. But I’m not despairing, and I hope you’re not either. We believe these problems can be solved when […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Is Idaho Quietly Defunding the Sheriff?

And what happens to Idaho if the office collapses? This started with one question in Horseshoe Bend Last Tuesday at the “Meet the Representatives” town hall in Horseshoe Bend, I asked a question based on direct work with Idaho sheriffs. I told the room I have interviewed sheriffs across the state, and they are all […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

The Grocery Tax Debate

Stand Up For Idaho is a non-profit organization that holds weekly town hall meetings to inform and educate the public. It also has both a YouTube and Rumble site where video recorded meetings can be viewed. At a recent town hall meeting, hosted by Jolyn Thomas from KID Newsradio, a discussion was held on the […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

American Exceptionalism Squandered

The year 2026, this year, marks the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. While the Founding generation sought for and prayed for prosperity and a land of liberty for themselves and their posterity and even understood the scope of what a nation blessed with liberty could accomplish, at least to some degree, they could […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Fraud is a Feature

Is there a functional difference between socialism and fraud? “To protect these rights, governments are created among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” The Declaration of Independence enumerates the proper roll of government, to protect the rights of the governed. As citizens we pay taxes to establish systems designed to […]

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