This week on Idaho Reports, Rep. Megan Blanksma discusses her removal as House Majority Leader and what she thinks led up to it. Then, Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee co-chair Rep. Wendy Horman reviews progress so far on state budgets, and House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel talks about how the week will affect the rest of session.

Idaho Reports airs Friday at 8 pm on Idaho Public Television.

This week at the statehouse:

House ousts Megan Blanksma as majority leader, retains Mike Moyle as speaker

The vote to remove Blanksma from House Republican leadership came during a closed-door caucus meeting Thursday, after an unusal move on the House floor during which lawmakers voted unanimously to retain Mike Moyle as Speaker.

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House unveils its take on Little’s school facilities pitch

A highly anticipated bill was introduced Thursday in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee to leverage $1 billion dollars to address the condition of Idaho’s school buildings. The legislation would also ban districts from requiring job applicants to sign written diversity statements, and it includes limiting districts’ ability to shift from a five-day to four-day school week.

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New library bill introduced by Senate committee, ‘combination’ with harmful material bill in House

Sen. Geoff Schroeder, R-Mountain Home, and Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, are sponsoring a bill that would require every library to adopt written policies and procedures on how to process requests for relocation of library materials that may be harmful to minors by Jan. 1, 2025. The library would then designate a materials review committee, which would include no fewer than three people who live in the school district or library district and one person who is the parent of a child.

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Follow online for updates throughout the week:

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Bills printed on illegal advertising, foreign governments, local offices and elections

Marijuana is fully illegal in Idaho, but that has not stopped cannabis businesses in other states from advertising their products to Idaho residents over the border.

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Bill advances that would allow death penalty punishment in child sexual abuse cases

The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee advanced a bill on Wednesday that could make lewd conduct with a child younger than age 12 punishable by execution, despite the United States Supreme Court deeming a similar law unconstitutional in 2008.

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House passes bill declaring there are only 2 sexes

The bill defines the words male, female, mother, father, boy and girl, and it deems the word “gender” to be synonymous with “sex.” A few Republicans joined the Democrats in voting against the bill, citing concerns about ongoing litigation regarding prior bills the legislature has passed about transgender rights.

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House committee passes bill to re-establish Maternal Mortality Review Committee

The proposed maternal mortality review committee would be established under the state’s Board of Medicine instead of the Department of Health and Welfare, and would use existing Board of Medicine funds instead of matching federal funds.

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