"The measure of a man is what he does with power." --Plato
We are halfway through this legislative session and have only passed one law. It proves that the legislative branch is not nimble and would not efficiently handle an emergency with a quick response.
Change to Public Health District Authority
S1060 would allow review by County Commissioners of Public Health District orders applicable to the general public. This would apply to orders on mask, limits on gatherings and other similar orders that we have seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. This review would happen within seven days. The bill does not change the Public Health Districts' authority over many issues such as food safety and septic inspections. The bill would also make violations of this kind of order an infraction--a lower level of offense than the currently provided-for misdemeanor.
This is intended to shift responsibility for generally applicable orders from appointed Public Health Board Members to elected County Commissioners and to reduce the punishment for violations of these orders. All seven Public Health Districts support this bill. It passed the Senate Health and Welfare Committee after a robust presentation and it will be considered on the Senate floor next week.
Restricting the Initiative
Senator Vick brought S1110 to the Senate State Affairs Committee to require signatures from all 35 districts in Idaho before a measure can be put on the ballot. Of the states that allow for ballot measures, Idaho already has among the most onerous requirements. Last session when we considered multiple bills that would have made it more difficult for the people to have their voice heard through the initiative process, experts in this field testified that further restrictions would likely be found unconstitutional. This bill will likely be heard in committee next week.
Redistricting and the Census
Every ten years, the federal government is obligated by the US Constitution to conduct a census and 2020 was a census year. The States use the census data to adjust the boundary lines for federal and state legislative districts. This data is also very important to knowing more about our demographics so we can make good public policy and receive important resources.
Idaho has had significant population growth since the last census and that growth has not been evenly distributed across the State so we anticipate many district boundary lines will shift by quite a bit. Unfortunately, the census has had substantial difficulties and we will be getting the census data very late, creating a time crunch for Idaho to get our redistricting done in time for our next elections.
Under Idaho law, our redistricting is done by an independent commission. Once the commission is formed, there will be opportunities for public input, including public meetings. That information will be posted on the Legislature's website.
Covid-19 Vaccine Update
Idaho now has a public dashboard dedicated to providing transparent information about our vaccine roll-out. As of yesterday, South Central Public Health District has the best percentage of vaccines administered out of those distributed. Unfortunately, only 70 percent of vaccines in hand have been administered; the rest is unused, sitting with providers.
Idaho continues to vaccinate those 65 and over, along with healthcare and essential workers. For information about when and where you can be vaccinated, please visit the South Central Public Health District's Covid-19 vaccine information webpage. Additionally, Vaccinate the 208 has information in Spanish.
Unfortunately, scammers are trying to take advantage of the vaccine situation. Please be aware that private individuals do not have the vaccine for sale.
