State
Senator Nuxoll's weekly legislative report
 ducation
program (sexual risk reduction) promoted by the Obama administration through
Title V funding. I and Brenda Saltzer from the Board of Directors
for the National Abstinence Education Association met with the Governor’s
office to discuss the approach the state is taking regarding sex education
for youth. Most Idahoan parents want abstinence education, but the Governor’s
office stopped utilizing Title V sexual risk avoidance (abstinence education)
funds in 2009 despite a plethora of studies showing the effectiveness of
this method. This has created a huge funding disparity for teaching the
two approaches. The programs should receive equal funding and parents should
have more options on sex education programs. Please contact the governor’s
office and let them know what you think!
HB 265, Interstate Compact on Transfer of Public Lands, passed the House but was stopped in the Senate Resources committee. H265 would allow Idaho to join with other western states in a compact to continue progress on finding ways to manage lands (including transfer of lands) currently owned by the federal government. I was a co-sponsor of the bill and I will continue to support this next year. Audit of Optum, last month there was a joint committee hearing for the Senate and House Health and Welfare Committees to hear concerns from the citizens. The greatest concern for constituents is linked to refusal of certain behavioral health services. Optum is a national managed care company hired by the Department of Health and Welfare for mental health. The Office of Performance Evaluation will be conducting an audit to determine their performance over the past two years which could affect their contract renewal. I asked for an audit due to the complaints. LHTAC—Local Highway Assistance Council, S 1179, appropriates money for an independent evaluation of LHTAC, a transportation council created to assist Idaho’s local highway districts to utilize available resources and federal funding for road construction. Many contractors complain that they are not getting paid for their work. This failed in the house but the ethical concerns are urgent and must be addressed. Naturopaths, H 181, which provides a framework for those naturopathic physicians who have graduated from an accredited Naturopathic Medical School and passed a national exam to become licensed. This bill failed in the Senate due to difficulty in licensing all of the naturopaths with different educations and work. From the many emails on this bill, Idahoans want choice of naturopaths who have different backgrounds. Work on this issue will be done throughout the summer. Sign Language Interpreter licensing, H 216, passed in a tie vote as Lt. Governor Little cast the deciding vote. This bill creates a licensing system and sets qualification standards for those who engage in the practice of sign language interpreting. I voted against this bill because a sign language interpreter would receive a misdemeanor for interpreting without a license which costs $1000. Bullying, H 246,--This legislation provides for inclusion of anti-bullying content in district, teacher and staff training and orientations to help staff recognize and most appropriately intervene should bullying occur. I voted no on this bill because 1. No parental notification is required, 2. No inclusion of punishment for intentional false reports is included, and 3. It could be used to suppress 1st amendment rights. Gas Tax, Grocery tax, H 311, which would have removed sales tax from groceries, increase transportation funding, and reduced the individual income tax rates, was not heard in the Senate. I co-sponsored this bill because it would have increased transportation funding and provided tax relief at the same time. The governor insists that we cannot use general funds for transportation. So, other bills are being proposed, but I do not approve of a transfer tax on fuel, tax on dyed fuel, or unrestricted registration fees because those taxes put a burden on only part of our population and are unfair. Concealed Weapon, H 301, is to re-codify existing law in a manner that provides Idaho residents and law enforcement officials with clear guidance on the rights and restrictions contained in the provisions of Idaho Code regulating the carrying of concealed weapons. I voted for this bill. Education flexibility waiver, H 314, provides for systematic review and amendments to the education waiver for Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESEA, since it is the intent by the legislature that in all future amendments to the waiver, the maximum flexibility for the state is expected. I voted for this bill because the people of Idaho are asking for more flexibility in such things as testing schedules, test duration, and standards. ~ Senator Nuxoll |
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