It’s time for yard signs & the special session
This summer has flown by and Election Day is just a couple of months away on November 8! Believe it or not, it's already time for yard signs to go out.
Since I moved districts in the last year, I will need to purchase hundreds of new signs! Yard signs help raise awareness about my campaign and remind folks to get out and vote. A $15 donation helps cover the cost of a yard sign and is deeply appreciated.
You can also sign up to volunteer and request a yard sign here. I've already knocked nearly 2,000 doors in District 16 this year and whether you're a door knocking pro or heading out for the very first time, I'd love for you to join me! If you're not prone to knocking, just hosting a sign in your yard would be awesome too.
I've been knocking doors since January and am having great conversations with voters from all walks of life. I've talked with people about their concerns about attacks on our public education system, the selling off of our public lands, and the loss of freedoms for women.
Nearly everyone I talk to is concerned about growth and our government's dire need to face down - and plan for - our state's increasing population. Many people ask me for ideas around how we can solve for the rising cost of rent. To summarize some of my ideas, I created a new webpage on my website on five things our state Legislature can do to address this problem.
The Special Session
The Legislature convened a special session last week to vote on a bill providing one-time tax rebates, ongoing corporate and income tax cuts, and ongoing investments to education, which passed.
Although I do not completely agree with everything in the bill, I'm happy to see tax rebates go back to Idahoans while we have a surplus and inflation is hitting moderate to low-income families the most. The $330 million annual investment in public schools from sales tax revenue, and $80 million to a new In-Demand Careers Fund are exactly what we need, as so many Idahoans who signed Reclaim Idaho's Quality Education Act petition have demonstrated.
But, our state's surplus may be temporary as this bill makes somewhat risky permanent tax cuts. The proposed ongoing cuts will result in hundreds of millions in revenue loss, and impact our state's ability to govern the future of Idaho - especially during a recession. Our state has growing needs, and although we've benefited from temporary federal funding, we could be putting ourselves at risk of a less balanced budget, and an inability to provide essential services, in the future. Meanwhile, about 80% of the corporate tax cuts being implemented are estimated to flow to out-of-state shareholders every year, and the top 1% of Idaho's households will benefit the most.
On balance, I would have supported this bill, but that's my full perspective. The Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy provided a good report on the bill, which you can check out here.
