Week #5 Legislative Update – Josh Wheeler, District 35

CARIBOU COUNTY – It was a great start to the week for me, when House Bill 433 passed off the floor of the house. It’s a great signal that Idaho is ready to see improved emphasis on skills, apprenticeships, certifications, and other relevant training. Now it will head to the senate. 

Senate Bill 1245, crafted to protect access to pesticides that are critical to our agricultural industry throughout the state, passed out of committee and should be heard on the Senate floor next week. I’m thankful to Senator Harris for taking the lead on this legislation. 

There were some historic happenings in the legislature this week. As a body, we debated House bill 457 at some length. It was the budget for the judicial branch this coming fiscal year. It was also the first budget of a new style of budgets that the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee produced this year. The budgets are intended to contain only bare bones items that would be needed for basic, ongoing operations. I have some concerns that we have moved too far toward an omnibus style budgeting like what they do in DC. I expressed these thoughts on the floor. The budgets are passing, so we will get to see how well they do work. 

We also saw, for the first time in Idaho history, the removal of a Majority Leader from their position. I was in favor of maintaining our current leadership, to get us through the remainder of the session. So, I was disappointed to see this change. But we do have a statehouse full of competent, hard-working legislators and I am confident we will persevere and finish the good work for the people this session.