It was a tight vote this morning in the Idaho Senate but, SB 1159, the bill to put Idaho among the most difficult place in the nation for citizens’ initiatives to qualify for the ballot, passed 18-17. What now? If the bill passes the Idaho House of Representatives, a veto from Governor Little is the remaining step in the process in the legislative branch. Sign the petition for his veto of the legislation here.
In her debate against the bill, Senator Michelle Stennett raised the question of the constitutionality of this bill. The Idaho chapter of the ACLU has also raised this issue.
More immediately, we can hold legislators accountable by flooding the Twin Falls Times-News, the Idaho Mountain Express and The Weekly Sun with letters to the editor expressing our deep and enduring opposition against this vote. We need to put legislators on notice that Idahoans won’t forget their vote to silence our voices. Senator Grow, the bill’s sponsor, drafted this legislation in cooperation with a lobbyist for MoneyTree, the Seattle payday loan giant. MoneyTree is working against citizen-led initiatives here because last year, Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to restrict the payday loan industry.
