A Conversation with IFF President Ron Nate & Tea Party Bob Podcast Notes by Bob Neugebauer The Idaho legislative session is approaching its conclusion, and the results are profoundly disappointing for fiscal conservatives. My recent conversation with Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron Nate exposed how legislative leadership is deliberately blocking critical reforms while pushing wasteful […]
In a Feb. 6th Newsweek report by Martha McHardy cited below, the progress made in the 11 States that are initiating DOGE-like programs to cut waste and State government inefficiencies, is reviewed. Since January I have been making a siren call for such a program in Idaho. The problems with the LUMA accounting and reconciling […]
As President Donald Trump and DOGE push for reforms at the federal level, many large corporations are shifting their influence and strategies to the state level. This shift is particularly evident in Idaho, where corporate lobbyists and industry associations are playing an increasingly dominant role in funding and influencing legislators to shape legislation. Legislation that […]
Dear Friends, After several years and several attempts, Idaho finally has a law supporting real school choice. As with most all legislation, it’s not perfect, but it’s a good start for something that plays an outsized role in our state – meeting the educational needs of our kids. Education has never been effective as a […]
Freedom Foundation President Ronald Nate offers his Opinion Podcast Notes by Bob Neugebauer In a landmark development for Idaho education policy, Governor Brad Little signed into law the state’s first significant school choice legislation last week, marking what many conservatives are calling a historic achievement for education freedom in the Gem State. Meanwhile, controversy continues […]
Recently I listened to very compelling testimony before The Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Senate Bill 1036 that calls for a 10 year pause on vaccines or “any therapy” that uses messenger RNA (MRNA) technology which is currently being used in two Covid vaccines. The Bill is sponsored by Brandon Shippy, R- New Plymouth […]
A Conversation with IFF President Ron Nate & Tea Party Bob Podcast Notes by Bob Neugebauer In a recent episode of my Idaho Pulse podcast, I spoke with Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron Nate about a range of legislative proposals and spending bills currently under debate in the Idaho State Capitol. Throughout our conversation, we […]
Republished, with permission, from the Idaho Freedom Foundation Three tax-cut bills — four, if you include an education tax credit bill — are before the Idaho Legislature. And yes, they are all affordable. A Little History Over the past five years, ongoing and one-time tax cuts have reduced the tax take by $4.6 billion, of […]
Republished, with permission, from the Idaho Freedom Foundation Late last week, after several failed attempts, the Legislature’s Joint Finance Appropriation Committee (JFAC) set the state employee pay raise. Rather than a strict percentage, the pay raise, known as the Change in Employee Compensation (CEC), provides a $1.05 to $1.55 per hour increase range for most […]
Republished, with permission, from the Idaho Freedom Foundation The Idaho Legislature will soon decide whether to approve the newly revised K-12 social studies standards (Standards) developed by the State Department of Education (SDE) over the past year. Last session, the Legislature adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 116, directing the SDE to create standards that emphasize the […]
A Conversation with Ron Nate & Tea Party Bob Podcast Notes by Bob Neugebauer Fiscal Reforms Face Federal Constraints Idaho legislators are advancing ambitious fiscal reforms amid growing concerns about federal dependency and ballooning state expenses, with particular focus on Medicaid expansion costs and tax relief measures totaling over $400 million. However, the state’s ability […]
I have concluded that our legislators have forgotten that they work for the people and here is why. In a recent survey, we find that “Eighty-Seven” percent of Idahoans want the Grocery Tax repealed, yet many of our legislators seem to think we are better off if we keep this tax. Idaho is one of […]