PEOPLE
PEOPLE IN
PEOPLE IN A BUILDING IS NOT SOMETHING HEALTH EXPERTS IN ADA COUNTY
HAVE ENDORSED FOR
QUITE SOME TIME.
IT'S BASICALLY THE
OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY
ARE ASKING FROM THE
PUBLIC.
A LITTLE LESS THAN A
MONTH FROM NOW
THOUGH, THAT SCENARIO
CAN BE EXPECTED FOR
HOURS ON END, MONDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY AT THE
IDAHO STATEHOUSE.
WE ARE LESS THAN FOUR
WEEKS AWAY FROM
LAWMAKERS FROM
AROUND THE STATE
GATHERING FOR THE 2021
LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
SOME ARE NOW SPEAKING
OUT AND SAYING THAT
MEETING IN-PERSON ON
A DAILY BASIS WHILE
CORONAVIRUS SPREADS
UNCONTROLLABLY IN ADA
COUNTY...WHERE THE
CAPITOL IS LOCATED...IT'S
SIMPLY POOR
JUDGEMENT.
JOE PARRIS SPOKE WITH
IDAHO DEMOCRAT
LEADERSHIP ABOUT THEIR
NEW CALL TO HAVE THE
SESSION PUSHED BACK A
FEW MONTHS.
HE ALSO FOUND OUT
WHAT GOP
LEADERS...INCLUDING
GOVERNOR BRAD LITTLE,
WHO RECENTLY CALLED
ON ALL IDAHOANS TO
MAKE GOOD
JUDGEMENTS....THINK OF
THAT IDEA.
"IT FEELS RECKLESS IN THE
EXTREME, I MEAN IT FEELS
LIKE THE LEGISLATURE
WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR PUTTING ON
PROBABLY
PROBABLY THE MOST DANGEROUS EVENT IN THE STATE."
WITH THAT IN-MIND,
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER
ILANA RUBEL SENT THIS
LETTER TO IDAHO
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP
ASKING THEM TO
SUPPORT AM IDEA TO
PUSH BACK THE 2021
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
FROM JANUARY TO EARLY
APRIL. LIKE DURING THE
SPECIAL SESSION OVER
THE SUMMER,
LAWMAKERS HAVE BEEN
ASKED BY LEADERSHIP TO
WEAR MASKS AND SOCIAL
DISTANCE AT THE CAPITOL.
IT IS NOT REQUIRED
HOWEVER, LEADING TO
CONERNS FROM SOME
LAW MAKERS WHICH IS
WHY THEY WANT TO JUST
PUSH THE SESSION BACK.
"IT'S THE RESPONSIBLE
THING TO DO. WHERE
OUR NUMBERS ARE RIGHT
NOW I FRANKLY FIND IT
AMAZING THAT THE
CURRENT PLAN IS TO JUST
COME IN ALL SYSTEMS GO
LIKE NOTHING IS GOING
ON.
ON. PACK
ON. PACK HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE INTO CLOSED ROOMS, NO MASK
REQUIREMENT, NO
NOTHING, AND JUST
PRETEND THERE IS NO
PANDEMIC HAPPENING."
RUBEL SAYS DELAYING
UNTIL APRIL CAN GIVE
PEOPLE A REALISTIC TIME
FRAME TO GET THE COVID
VACCINE IF THEY CHOOSE
TO. SHE KNOWS THE
LEGISLATURE HAS A JOB
TO DO BUT BELIEVES IT'S
COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE
TO DELAY UNDER THE
CURRENT PANDEMIC
CIRCUMSTANCES. AS AN
EXAMPLE, RUBEL POINTS
TO IDAHO'S NEIGHBOR TO
THE EAST, THE WYOMING
LEGISLATURE THAT
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED
THEY WILL BE DELAYING
THEIR 2021 SESSION.
IN RESPONSE TO THE
LETTER FROM DEMOCRAT
LEADERSHIP, IDAHO
HOUSE SPEAKER SCOTT
BEDKE RELEASED THIS
STATEMENT SAYING IN
PART, "DESPITE THEIR
REQUEST, WE ARE BOUND
TO LEGISLATIVE RULES, PER
THE IDAHO
CONSTITUTION, THAT
REQUIRES THE PASSAGE
OF A JOINT RESOLUTION
WITH A TWO-THIRDS
MAJORITY VOTE TO
CHANGE THE START DATE
AND TERMS OF AN IDAHO
LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WE
UNDERSTAND THE
CONCERNS STATED IN THE
LETTER, AND HOUSE
LEADERSHIP HAS LOOKED
AT ALL VIABLE OPTIONS
TO MEET SAFETY
PROTOCOLS WITHIN OUR
EXISTING RULES. WE ARE
CONTINUOUSLY WORKING
ON A VIABLE SOLUTION
THAT WILL PROVIDE THE
MAXIMUM LEVEL OF
WORKPLACE COMFORT
FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE
IDAHO LEGISLATURE,"
RUBEL SHE UNDERSTANDS
THAT THE CONSTITUTION
LAYS OUT WHEN THE
LEGISLATURE NEEDS TO
CONVENE TO START THE
SESSION, FOR 2021 THAT
WOULD BE JANUARY 11TH.
BUT, RUBEL BELIEVES
THERE IS A WAY TO
SATISFY THE
CONSTITUTION AND THEIR
REQUEST.
"JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE
TO BE THERE JANUARY
11TH DOESN'T MEAN
THAT WE HAVE TO THEN
BE THERE ALL DAY EVERY
DAY FOR MONTHS ON
END WITH HUNDREDS OF
PEOPLE PACKED INTO
ROOMS. WE COULD SHOW
UP JANUARY 11TH AND
PASS A SIMPLE
CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION SAYING LET'S
ADJOURN A COUPLE OF
MONTHS UNTIL PUBLIC
SAFETY ENABLES US TO
CONVENE AGAIN."
THERE ARE ALSO
CONCERNS FROM NON-
LAWMAKERS ABOUT THE
2021 SESSION. THE IDAHO
COUNCIL ON
DEVELOPMENTAL
DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES WROTE A LETTER CO-SIGNED BY 30 DIFFERENT GROUPS TO
STATEHOUSE LEADERSHIP
ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS
WITH THE COVID
PROTOCOLS AT THE
STATEHOUSE. THOSE
GROUPS INCLUDE
VULNERABLE IDAHOANS
WHO WORRY ABOUT
RISKING THEIR HEALTH
AND SAFETY WHILE
TRYING TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP
HAS PREVIOUSLY SAID
THEY ARE ENCOURAGING
MEMBERS OF BOTH
HOUSES TO MASK UP,
SOCIAL DISTANCE, AND
EXHIBIT GOOD COVID
PRACTICES. THOSE
HOWEVER ARE, AGAIN,
NOT MANDATORY,
CAUSING CONCERN
AMONGST GROUPS THAT
WANT TO HAVE THEIR
VOICES HEARD AT THE
STATEHOUSE, NOT
THROUGH A VIRTUAL
MEANS, BUT FEAR
GETTING SICK.
I REACHED OUT TO
GOVERNOR LITTLE'S
OFFICE FOR HIS TAKE ON
THE REQUEST TO PUSH
THE SESSION BACK, THEY
RESPONDED APTLY
SAYING: "THE IDAHO
LEGISLATURE CREATES THE
RULES FOR HOW TO
CARRY OUT THE
LEGISLATIVE SESSION, NOT
THE GOVERNOR.
GOVERNOR LITTLE
ENCOURAGES LEGISLATIVE
LEADERSHIP TO LOOK AT
ALL OPTIONS TO ENSURE
THE SAFETY OF THEIR
MEMBERS AND THE
PUBLIC AS COVID-19
TRANSMISSION REMAINS
HIGH THROUGHOUT THE
STATE."
RUBEL SAYS SHE
UNDERSTANDS THE
REQUEST MAY NOT
HAPPEN, BUT THAT HER
PARTY BELIEVES IT IS
IMPORTANT TO AT LEAST
TRY AND AVOID HOLDING
A POTENTIAL SUPER
SPREADER EVENT 5 DAYS A
WEEK FROM THREE
MONTHS.
"PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER
THE STATE COMING IN,
PACKING INTO ROOMS,
MOST PEOPLE NOT
WEARING MASKS. THEN
GOING BACK OUT TO
THEIR PARTS OF THE
STATE. I MEAN, IT'S
ALMOST A CASE STUDY IN
WHAT NOT TO DO DURING
A
A PANDEMIC." WHAT IS THE LEGISLATURE REQUIRED TO DO? WOULD
THEY BE PRESSED FOR
TIME
TIME IF
TIME IF THEY START LATE?