The Roots of Our Legislation

The hustle and bustle at the Boise Capitol is always a circus during session. Hundreds of bills at various legislative stages, lots of conversations amongst legislators working on securing the necessary votes, busy days filled with long committee hearings, and daily floor sessions. It can be overwhelming for us and sometimes shadowy to public perception.

The reality is that there is barely enough time some days to eat lunch, be in numerous meetings and keep constituents abreast publicly (on social media) of what is getting accomplished. The Idaho Freedom Caucus (IFC) members meet daily to review legislation and make diligent attempts to be as transparent as possible. The online clips and flashy bills are generally all that constituents see, but the reality is that there is so many more moving parts in constant legislative motion that goes unseen.

Constituents bring specific issues to their legislators and we work to correct those problems either through the negotiate-and-educate process with other government agencies or through legislation that aims to correct the problem and benefit the entire state. The voices of the distant constituents are not forgotten and we at IFC want to showcase some initiatives we have taken that don’t garner media attention:

Representative Rob Beiswenger (Legislative District 8) was approached about a problem in his area. The Horseshoe Bend community wanted to construct a Veteran’s Memorial Park, and to raise money for it, they created “Freedom Fight Night”; a mixed martial arts competition fundraiser that was approved by the State Athletics Commission in 2023. That year they raised $24,000. When they went to raise money again in 2024, the State Athletics Commission questioned whether it was abiding by state law, so the event was cancelled with $10,000 in losses. After being approached, Rep. Beiswenger then crafted House Bill 16 to provide a carve out with the State Athletics Commission for competing in mixed martial arts for charity. The video of his presentation can be seen here. This bill has passed the House and is now waiting to be read on the Senate floor. We are hoping Horseshoe Bend earns all the money they need for their park. If you are interested in Freedom Fight Night you can receive updates here:

https://www.freedomfightnight.org/

Representative Cornel Rasor (Legislative District 1) had his eye on an ongoing problem in his district. It encircles Camp Bay Road in Sandpoint where the Bonner County Commissioners abandoned half a mile of public road. According to this Bonner County Daily Bee article “Public access to the shoreline at Camp Bay became a contested issue after a developer — M3 ID Camp Bay, LLC — acquired land in the area with an intent to build a subdivision. Dispute about the end point of Camp Bay Road and whether public access to the shore ever officially existed led the issue to simmer for more than a year until commissioners voted unanimously in a December 2022 hearing to vacate the end section of the road to M3.” This led to Rep. Rasor’s drafting of House Bill 101 requiring that an adequate replacement public access be provided (even at private expense if necessary) before an abandonment can be declared. Here is the early presentation of the bill. [This bill just died on a tie vote in Transportation & Defense committee on Wednesday].

Representative Steve Tanner (Legislative District 13) was appalled at a display that occurred at Canyon County Pride at Lakeview Park in Nampa this last June, along with other elected Representatives in his district. Children- among other attendees- were present for an indecent exposure act that can be seen here (Warning-not safe for viewing for children). Rep. Tanner got together with Rep. Jeff Cornilles and City Council member Sebastian Griffin to develop House Bill 270, an amendment to Idaho’s indecent exposure state code. If this bill passes, it will incorporate female and male private body parts that are augmented on both sexes. Ever shifting culture apparently requires ever shifting laws. The presentation of the bill can be seen here. This bill has currently passed out of Judiciary, Rules & Administration, and is headed for the House floor.

Whether it is a charitable event, public access, or lewd acts- all of our IFC members are here to fight for their district constituents and to make Idaho a safe and enjoyable place to call home. Never be afraid make your Representative aware an issue, no matter how big or small. Our IFC members will take it seriously and do their best to devise a solution. All of these bills were a direct result of one of you reaching out to us. Some bills may be more engaging to the entire body or on social media, but we don’t include “glamour factor” when taking on legislation.