Senator
Nuxoll's weekly newsletter
 This
bill allows gay marriage to be recognized in Idaho for tax purposes, but
Article3, Section 28, states “A marriage between a man and a woman is the
only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”
I voted against this bill.
A resolution (HJR1) was introduced to allow the money to follow the student for Idaho students. It would make scholarships and grants to students permissible and constitutional at any school they choose to attend. However, this resolution for K-12 is now being held in the House and may not pass. Parental choice in education should be allowed as parents know what is best for their own children. Two bills are being presented to eliminate the confusion of Idaho concerning the carrying of concealed weapons without a permit. These bills would allow concealed carry without a permit that is not prohibited by state or federal law. A resolution allowing counties in Idaho to declare a catastrophic public nuisance and request abatement from federal land agencies when conditions present danger of wildfire, drinking water contamination, or other public nuisances was introduced in the resource committee. The purpose of this bill is to declare that the state recognizes the jurisdictional duty of the counties to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of their people. Due to an inconsistency in the bill, it was redrafted and will be presented again this week. A chiropractic bill which stops many of the practices that chiropractors have been using for 30 years was passed in committee. I voted against this because the House Chair of the Health and Welfare committee would not proceed with the concurrent bill that was coming to define the scope of practice for Chiropractors. This last bill would have codified the practices and procedures that chiropractors now use. An anti-trust lawsuit will probably follow because of the damage it does to chiropractors. In a presentation to the Health and Welfare committee, dieticians said that $83 million a year in Medicaid could be saved by helping diabetic Idaho citizens with their diet by dropping 1% in AIC. This avenue for health and state savings must be pursued. In Finance Committee, the commission on wolf depredation announced that 72 wolves were removed in 2015. Although they did not give a figure for wolves removed in 2016, they did report that there were no complaints this year yet. The Department of Corrections announced that their turnover rate has dropped from 33% to 11% because of last year’s raise in pay for the prison guards if they meet performance standards. The Department also has a plan to help any counties with overcrowded jails that were caused by the parole stays in the justice reinvestment act passed in 2014. The state has to pay over $5 million for 43 inmates with Hepatitis C. If not, it will be more expensive for lawsuits that would follow due to neglect. The new parole commission director has finally processed the 50,000 cases for parole that they were behind on. It seems that our prisons and parolees are finally receiving some much needed direction and help. Please contact me if you have questions. Sen. Sheryl L. Nuxoll Idaho State Senate (208) 332-1355 (Direct line) (208) 332-1417 (Assistant’s line) snuxoll@senate.idaho.gov |
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