In this mid-week newsletter:

ESAs hit roadblock in House Education; advisory vote floated

Senate passes bill prohibiting employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates

Property tax relief bill for schools and homeowners passes House

Firing squad execution bill moves to Senate floor

House kills bill to require a reason for voting absentee

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

House kills bill to limit absentee ballot access

Under the bill, only people who are in the military, disabled, hospitalized or infirmed, on a religious mission, attending university, or living in another state temporarily would have been allowed to request an absentee ballot.

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Bill to prohibit employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates passes Senate

“To uniformly say everybody needs to get a vaccine to be employed, we think that’s taking it a step too far,” Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder said.

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LavaRidge-DraftEIS-Alternatives-Map image

House unanimously opposes Lava Ridge Wind Project

Rep. Jack Nelsen said beyond the physical impact of the site, the Magic Valley community is concerned about 700 temporary construction workers coming into the area, only for the operational facility to produce about 20 permanent jobs.

“The concern is that the massive amount of federal dollars behind this are going to put people– just price them out of the market,” said Nelsen, R-Jerome.

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Follow Idaho Reports for updates throughout the week

ESAs blocked in House Ed; advisory question possible

Proponents of expanding school choice options outside the public school system hit yet another roadblock Tuesday morning in the House Education Committee, as lawmakers consider asking voters for guidance on the issue.

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JLOC members and chairs appointed, allowing release of direct care workforce report

A letter from the Caregiver Alliance states the recommendations in the anticipated Office of Performance Evaluations report “would be invaluable as we attempt to navigate how to address the critical workforce shortage in Idaho.”

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Firing squad bill moves to Senate floor

Sen. Dan Foreman is a former police officer and military veteran, and said he would never support the firing squad.

“I’ve seen people shot, up close and personal, and I would never vote for this bill,” said Foreman. “For the life of me, I would not inflict the duties to carry this out on another Idahoan, or another human being for that matter.”

Others said the state has to carry out its punishments prescribed in law.

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Property tax relief bill passes House

The first pot of money the bill would create would be divided and distributed to school districts to make existing bond and levy payments, which should reduce property taxes.

The second would be a tax credit for people who qualify for the homeowners exemption.

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New bill introduced on ‘obscene’ library materials

Unlike previous bills that would have allowed a lawsuit of up to $10,000, under the new version, someone could sue a library for $2,500. It would allow only a parent or guardian to bring the lawsuit, rather than the child.

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