In this week's newsletter:

Bill to end use of student IDs at polls heads to governor's desk

Property tax bill offers payments for schools and homeowners

House passes bill to overhaul the state's public defense system

Senate passes bill on transgender students' restroom use

Idaho Reports airs Friday at 8 p.m. on Idaho Public Television.

Gov. Brad Little, Sen. Jim Risch, Gov. Butch Otter and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, the four living governors of Idaho, join the show this week to remember the late Gov. Phil Batt.

This week on the podcast:

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Phil Batt and the Idaho GOP

This week on the podcast, we remember former Gov. Phil Batt and his legacy as the chairman of the Idaho Republican Party with his former chief of staff Jeff Malmen.

WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS

Follow Idaho Reports for updates throughout the week

House introduces long-awaited property tax bill

With just a few weeks left before leadership hopes to wrap up the session, the House Revenue and Taxation Committee released a long-awaited property tax relief package on Thursday. The bill is the product of weeks of negotiation between tax leaders in both chambers to combine components from earlier legislation.

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Bill to end use of student IDs at the polls heads to the governor’s desk

Sen. Scott Herndon said student IDs are not required to include a date of birth, and schools do not require proof of identification to obtain one.

“The problem with them is there is no uniformity,” Herndon said.

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Senate passes gendered school facilities bill

The bill, pitched as a student privacy bill by Sen. Ben Adams, mandates anyone in K-12 schools must use the bathroom that matches their biological sex.

Schools would be required to maintain separate restrooms, showers, dressing areas, locker rooms and overnight accommodations for biological girls and biological boys. The school would need to provide accommodation for any student who is unwilling or unable to use the standard facilities.

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House passes public defense bill

Lawmakers said the bill will help address the issues in Tucker v Idaho, a class action lawsuit from 2015 that alleges the state does not provide adequate public defense as required by the U.S. Constitution.

“It may not be a touchdown, but it’s a first down,” said Rep. Colin Nash. “I think that dedicated funding source will go a long way.”

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Ballot initiatives resolution held in committee, for now

The House State Affairs Committee on Thursday held a resolution, subject to call of the chairman, that would ask voters to amend the Idaho Constitution and make it harder to get an initiative or referendum on the ballot.

READ MORE HERE

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