ON
ON THE
ON THE CAPITOL WATCH... SOME IDAHO LAWMAKERS HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT
THE SCOPE OF GOVERNOR
BRAD LITTLE'S POWER
DURING THE
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS...
AND POSSIBLE FUTURE
CRISES.
CRISES.
NOW,
NOW, REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS ARE FORMING WORKING
GROUPS AIMED AT
MAKING LEGISLATION TO
BLOCK WHAT THEY
CONSIDER "OVERREACH"
BY THE EXECUTIVE
BRANCH.
THE SIX CATEGORIES
THEY'RE FOCUSING ON
INCLUDE: ELECTIONS,
ALLOCATING
ALLOCATING
UNANTICIPATED FUNDING THAT COMES INTO THE STATE, AND A
CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT THAT
WOULD GIVE LEGISLATORS
THE POWER TO CALL
THEMSELVES INTO SPECIAL
SESSIONS TO DEAL WITH
MAJOR ISSUES, AND NOT
JUST LEAVE THAT TO THE
GOVERNOR.
GOVERNOR. NEW THIS MORNING... I TALKED WITH SPEAKER OF
THE HOUSE, REPUBLICAN
SCOTT BEDKE, ABOUT THIS
FOR THIS SUNDAY'S
VIEWPOINT.
VIEWPOINT.
I
I ALSO
I ALSO ASKED HIM ABOUT THE EFFECTS THE RECENT U.S. SUPREME COURT
RULING GRANTING
EMPLOYMENT
PROTECTIONS TO THE
LGBTQ COMMUNITY WILL
HAVE ON THE EFFORT IN
IDAHO TO ADD THE
WORDS
WORDS GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION TO THE IDAHO HUMAN
RIGHTS ACT... AND ABOUT
CALLS TO DEFUND POLICE.
HERE ARE PARTS OF THAT
INTERVIEW... STARTING
WITH THE REPUBLICAN
CAUCUS'S CONCERNS
ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S
POWER TO DOLE OUT THE
1.25 BILLION DOLLARS
IDAHO RECEIVED IN
FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS
FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS
RELIEF
RELIEF MONEY. REP. SCOTT BEDKE: THE CONSTITUTION IS CLEAR
THAT IT IS THE LEGISLATIVE
BODY'S, THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH'S PREROGATIVE
AND RESPONSIBILITY TO
DO THE APPROPRIATION.
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY
THAT HAS COME INTO THE
STATE IS LITERALLY
UNPRECEDENTED AND
LEGISLATORS WOULD LIKE
TO BE, NOT BECAUSE THEY
ARE JUST BUSYBODIES, BUT
THEY FEEL THEY HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY TO BE IN
THE
THE MIDDLE OF THAT. DOUG PETCASH: IS THIS AN EFFORT AGAINST
GOVERNOR LITTLE'S
SPECIFIC HANDLING OF
THE PANDEMIC, OR IS IT
ABOUT THE POWER OF
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH?
REP. BEDKE: IT'S MORE
BASED IN THE SEPARATION
OF
OF POWERS. NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS WE UNDERSTAND THE
CONCEPT OF HAVING TOO
MANY COOKS IN THE
KITCHEN. WE GET THAT.
BUT AS THINGS LEVEL OUT
AND WE GET BACK TO, WE
SEE THE WORLD DIDN'T
COME TO AN END AND WE
STILL HAVE A SYSTEM TO
OPERATE, WE NEVER
JETTISON THE SEPARATION
OF POWERS. THESE ARE
THE BASIC TENETS OF OUR
GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE
THE INITIAL BLOW UP, YES,
MAYBE YOU NEED TO
HAVE A VERY STRICT ONE
PERSON CALLING THE
SHOTS, BUT AS THAT
LEVELS OUT, WE BELIEVE
IT'S TIME TO INCLUDE THE
OTHER BRANCHES OF
GOVERNMENT.
DOUG PETCASH: OUR
NEIGHBORS TO THE WEST,
WASHINGTON AND
OREGON, THE GOVERNORS
HAVE MANDATED
WEARING MASKS. DO YOU
THINK IDAHO SHOULD DO
THAT?
REP. BEDKE: NO. I DON'T
THINK SO. I THINK THAT
WE SHOULD TEACH OUR
CITIZENS
CITIZENS ABOUT THE DISEASE AND ABOUT THE RISKS AND LET THEM
GOVERN THEMSELVES. I
THINK BEING OVER
PRESCRIPTIVE JUST
BACKFIRES IN SOME CASES
AND I DON'T THINK WE
SHOULD GO THERE.
DOUG PETCASH: DO YOU
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO
WEAR THEM?
REP. BEDKE: UNDER
CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES,
DEFINITELY. IT'S A SERIOUS
DISEASE. NO ONE IS
DOWNPLAYING THAT. IT'S
A SERIOUS CONDITION.
DOUG PETCASH: MR.
SPEAKER, TO BE LEGALLY
CLEAR HERE THE
SUPREME COURT RULING
OVERRIDES THE IDAHO
HUMAN RIGHTS ACT TO
GIVE THE LGBTQ
COMMUNITY SPECIFIC
EMPLOYMENT
PROTECTION, CORRECT?
REP. BEDKE: CORRECT.
AND SO, DE FACTO, I
BELIEVE THE WORDS
HAVE BEEN ADDED IN
IDAHO BY THE UNITED
STATES SUPREME COURT
DOUG PETCASH: SO WILL
THE RULING BY THE
SUPREME COURT CHANGE
THE DISCUSSION IN THE
LEGISLATURE AND
POSSIBLY LEAD TO
ADDING THE WORDS
GENDER IDENTITY AND
SEXUAL ORIENTATION,
PERHAPS AS A GESTURE AT
THIS POINT, TO THE
IDAHO HUMAN RIGHTS
ACT?
ACT? REP.
ACT? REP. BEDKE: I GUESS THE
SHORT
SHORT ANSWER IS I DON'T KNOW. I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL CERTAINLY CHANGE
THE DISCUSSION, AND I
THINK MOST LEGISLATORS
WILL REACT AS I JUST SAID,
THAT IT'S A DONE DEAL,
AND I BELIEVE THAT AT
SOME POINT IN OUR
HISTORY THAT THAT WILL
HAPPEN. I JUST DON'T
KNOW WHEN THAT WILL
HAPPEN.
DOUG PETCASH: JUST
THIS WEEK IN BOISE
HUNDREDS OF BLACK
LIVES MATTER AND BLUE
LIVES MATTER PROTESTERS
SHOWED UP AT BOISE CITY
HALL. ON ONE SIDE,
BLACK LIVES MATTER
WANTS TO DEFUND THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT,
REALLOCATE SOME MONEY
TO SOCIAL PROGRAMS.
THE OTHER SIDE, THE
COUNTER PROTESTERS,
WERE AGAINST
DEFUNDING LAW
ENFORCEMENT. WHAT
ROLE SHOULD STATE
LEADERS HAVE IN THIS
DEBATE?
DEBATE?
REP.
REP. BEDKE: WELL, THOSE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WITHIN THE SOUND OF
MY VOICE LISTENING TO
YOUR PROGRAM HAVE NO
CONCERN AS LONG AS I
AM THE SPEAKER OF THE
HOUSE, WE'RE NOT GOING
TO DEFUND THE STATE
POLICE OR FACILITATE THE
DEFUNDING OF POLICE
DEPARTMENTS IN IDAHO.
THAT IS AN ABSURDIVE
IDEA, AND I DISAGREE
WITH THAT. THAT'S NOT
TO DIMINISH THE
CONCERNS OUT THERE
THAT
THAT MANY
THAT MANY OF OUR CITIZENS HAVE THAT FEEL THAT THE SYSTEM
CONSPIRES TO MISTREAT
THEM, AND SO THERE IS
ALWAYS ROOM FOR
IMPROVEMENT.
SPEAKER BEDKE SAYS HE
TRUSTS LAW
ENFORCEMENT LEADERS
ON THE STATE AND LOCAL
LEVELS TO MAKE
CORRECTIONS TO
POLICING WHERE THEY
ARE NEEDED.
YOU CAN WATCH MY FULL
INTERVIEW WITH SPEAKER
BEDKE ON VIEWPOINT
THIS SUNDAY AT 6:30 A.M.
AND 6:30 AND 11 P.M.