The last few weeks have been some of the busiest weeks that I
can recall in my 6 years. The afternoon
committees were very busy. According to
House rules the afternoon committees last day to introduce legislation was on
the 36th legislative day, February 12th. An afternoon committee chair may get special
permission, but for all intents and purposes new legislation will be limited to
the morning daily “privileged committees”. The rush of legislation to meet that deadline, put into queue many bills for public hearings and as they move through the House, consideration with House Floor Debate. As you can see in the Legislative Progress Report, 2018 is lining up to be the busiest year in the past six years.
The week before last the Education Committee, myself included, got much attention as we were accepting public testimony on the Science Standards. We took testimony for about 3 ½ hours over two days, and another hour of deliberations last week. Some would have you believe that the debate on the science standards is about climate change. The media has promoted the idea that the Education Committee does not want climate change within the standards. This is not correct, as the committee never suggested that climate change be removed or excluded from Science Standards. There was concern on the wording of the standard, but not that climate change is part of the standards. If you want to have a more thorough understanding of my thoughts, you may see my guest opinion in the Times-News Sunday February11th. You may also watch the Education Committee meeting of February 1st found in the legislative archives: Most of my comments begin at the 23rd minute of the video. As much as the media made of the House deliberations, last week the Senate Education Committee approved the standards, with little fanfare.
Each year there are special presentations held in the
House Chambers. On Monday, February 12th, the House was
put at ease for a special Lincoln Day Program.
A committee of house members organized the event. This year we enjoyed a musical performance by
students from the Idaho Fine Arts Academy of Vocal Majors – West Ada School
District. In the center of the chambers
two life masks were on display. One we
have traditionally on display outside the Legislature’s Lincoln Auditorium and
a second that I had not seen previously.
These are incredible pieces of history, showing President Lincoln in
1860 and 1865. They show the dramatic
changes in the President and the physical toll he endured during the civil
war. This day is one of the perks, in an
otherwise very busy three-month session.
This year I have a BSU Graduate
Intern, Jessica Franco, working with me.
Three weeks ago, she authored on my behalf the weekly Republican
Perspective in the Times-News. This bi-weekly letter provides her an
opportunity to share her thoughts and observations. I allow her a paragraph to write on a topic
of her choosing. Other than some style
edits, these are totally the thoughts of Jessica Franco. Here are this weeks "Jessica’s Thoughts" - Since last week's education
committee discussion on school standards, I have noticed how the media can
influence society. From the committee
meetings to interviews that Rep. Clow provided, I have seen his words be
manipulated into what the press needed to create their slant in a story. Seeing how words can easily be turned against
someone, I have realized the importance of looking for unbiased news sources or
scholarly articles. From now on when I
read the news I will be aware that there can always be another side to the
story and I should put effort into being fully informed.
This
is my third E-Newsletter in 2018.
I send one every two weeks to my list of constituents and friends. I also have a rotating Legislative Letter
that I send a snail mail letter to a rotation list of 200 constituents every
two weeks. The main difference between
the letter and e-newsletter is timing.
The letter is mailed the week prior to the e-newsletter. If you are not receiving my E-Newsletter and,
or would like to be included in my snail mail list, send your contact
information to lclow@house.idaho.gov.
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