Two of Idaho’s state Democratic representatives paid visited UI campus Wednesday to give an update on different policies confronted by the Idaho House of Representatives that they found to be controversial.
Titled “The Seven Deadly Sins of Single Party Politics,” the presentation was hosted by the Young Democrats of the University of Idaho, who hoped to gain insight from Reps. Mat Erpelding and Ilana Rubel.
Erpelding and Rubel began by discussing their difficulties as Democrats working with a legislature that is 82 percent Republican, and has had a Republican supermajority for the past 20 years.
Rubel first discussed the “Add the Words” campaign she and Erpelding co-sponsored, which aimed to add protection to the Idaho Human Rights Act to ensure of Idaho citizens could not be legally discriminated against on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identification.
Ilana said thousands of citizens marched to the Capitol in Boise in support of the campaign, but the bill received no hearing or consideration by the Idaho Legislature.
Following this, the pair discussed the Luker Laws, which were introduced into the House. The laws would have given Idaho business owners, health and education providers the right to deny service to anyone, if they cited sincerely held religious beliefs. Rubel said the bill was voluntarily withdrawn after Luker saw the effects of similar legislation in Arizona, which was the state that inspired the Luker Laws.
“It was very frustrating to us that getting protections against discrimination was completely shut out, but the Legislature was happy to hear a bill that would preserve the right to discriminate against LGBT folks,” Rubel said.
Erpelding then talked about Senate Bill 1337 that was signed into law Feb. 28, which criminalizes the collection of audio, pictures or video in agricultural production facilities without consent of the property owner.
Known as the “Ag-Gag Bill” by many animal rights activist groups, Erpelding said the Idaho American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the legislation less than two weeks after it became law, citing a violation of First Amendment rights. The suit is still ongoing.
The NRA authored bill that allows citizens with concealed carry permits to have firearms on their person on public college or university campuses statewide was next up to be discussed. Rubel said all university presidents and the entire Idaho State Board of Education unanimously opposed the bill, which was signed into law by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter on March 6. She said the costs of security training and preparation for the new law will cost universities in Idaho millions of dollars.
George Wood Jr. can be reached at [email protected]