 |
Site Map | search | contact | Press Room
|
|
Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself |
|
March 15, 2007 Legislative Update
1) ACLU OF IDAHO’S REAL ID VICTORY 2) UPDATES ON PUBLIC COMMENT BILL, THREE ANTI-CHOICE BILLS, and English ONLY LEGISLATION! _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Idaho Becomes Second State to Reject Real ID, ACLU Applauds Move, Urges Other States to Follow Suit
The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded Idaho for becoming the second state in the nation to reject participation in the Real ID Act. That law, enacted in 2005, lays the foundation for a national identity card. "Idaho and Maine are just the beginnings of the pending tidal wave of rebellion against Real ID," said Charlie Mitchell, Director of the ACLU State Legislative Department. "Across the nation, local lawmakers from both parties are rejecting the federal government's demand to undermine their constituents' privacy and civil liberties with a massive unfunded mandate. Congress must revisit the Real ID Act and fix this real mess." On a vote of 19 to 14, the State Senate today approved House Joint Memorial 3. The State House of Representatives had approved the bill unanimously on February 20. While the bill does not require the signature of Idaho Governor Butch Otter, he has also been a vocal critic of the Real ID Act. The bill states in part that Idaho, "shall enact no legislation nor authorize an appropriation to implement the provisions of the Real ID Act in Idaho, unless such appropriation is used exclusively for the purpose of undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the costs of implementing the Real ID Act or to mount a constitutional challenge to the act by the state Attorney General." Nationwide, there is a growing rebellion against Real ID within the states. In January, the Maine legislature passed a resolution rejecting participation in the ID scheme, and similar legislation has been passed by one chamber in the legislatures of Arizona, Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. Bills rejecting Real ID have also been introduced in Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and West Virginia, with more expected in the coming weeks. "This was a bipartisan effort that received widespread support from community organizations because of the threat Real ID poses to privacy rights. We congratulate the Idaho Legislature for sending the message to Congress that Idahoans will not stand for violations of their civil liberties," said Hannah Saona, Legislative Counsel of the ACLU of Idaho. "In particular, we applaud State Representatives Phil Hart and Liz Chavez and State Senators Russ Fulcher and Mike Jorgenson for taking the lead on this issue. We are proud to join Maine in protecting privacy, and urge other states to follow our example." An ACLU scorecard regarding the draft Real ID regulations is available at: www.realnightmare.org/resources/106 More information about Real ID is available at: www.RealNightmare.org
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ UPDATES ON PUBLIC COMMENT BILL, THREE ANTI-CHOICE BILLS, and English ONLY LEGISLATION! Public Comment at CAFO – Senate Bill 1056 Currently the law allows counties to comment at public hearings regarding a proposed Confined Animal Feeding Operation site to those whose primary residence is within one mile of the proposed site. Because the effects of CAFOs are felt by people much farther away than one mile, Senator Stennett introduced SB 1056, which expands the one mile limitation to “affected persons.” This expansion will allow those individuals with a real property interest that may be adversely affected by the CAFO to comment at the public hearings, regardless of where they live. SB 1056 passed unanimously out of the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee and passed on the Senate floor with a 30-4 vote. The bill was sent to the House Local Government Committee but seems to be stuck there. The Chair of this committee, Rep. Lenore Hardy Barrett, has not been willing to give this bill a hearing at this point and because one problematic county (Jerome County) has agreed to change their one mile rule, it seems that Rep. Barrett is unwilling to give SB 1056 a hearing in her committee. Contact the House Local Government to let them know that you want this bill to get the hearing heard! Simply respectfully request a public hearing for SB 1056. You can contact the members of the committee at the email addresses below:
Representative Lenore Hardy Barrett,
lbarrett@house.idaho.gov Parental Consent- Senate Bill 1082
The parental
consent bill is on it's third reading calendar in the House. Please contact your Representative and urge them to reject Senate Bill 1082. You can contact legislators by district at: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactbydistrict.cfm Or by name at http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/house/membership.cfm To find your district go to: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm Coercion Bill-House Bill 225 Adds to existing law that it is illegal to coerce or attempt to coerce a woman into having an abortion. Read the entire bill at http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/H0225.html We strongly oppose this bill. The bill is lopsided in that it doesn't include any language regarding coercing a woman to have a child. In addition, the bill as written is vague and therefore would likely be found unconstitutional in court. The bill has been pulled for the second time and we are hoping that it will not return this session. Contact the House Health and Welfare Committee to let them know that you do not want to see this bill this session or ever!
Representative Sharon Block,
sblock@house.idaho.gov Ultrasound Bill-House Bill 248 The bill requires physicians who use ultrasound equipment in performing abortions to inform the patients that they have a right to see the ultrasound image of the fetus prior to the abortion. While this may seem harmless, it is designed to discourage abortion and ignores the cruelty of offering a picture to a woman ending her pregnancy because her fetus has a condition incompatible with life or a woman who has become pregnant through rape or incest. Current law already requires that abortion providers show women an image of a fetus at the same gestational period as her own. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Janice McGeachin of Idaho Falls. This bill will likely be debated on the Senate floor next week. Contact your Senator now urging them to reject HB 248. You can contact legislators by district at: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactbydistrict.cfm Or by name at http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/house/membership.cfm To find your district go to: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm
English Only Legislation SB 1172 This bill would declare English to be the official state language. It would make English the sole language of government, and provide that specified actions shall be in English. This bill is discriminatory and is not considerate to the English language learners in Idaho. SB 1172 also flies in the face of the First and Fourteenth Amendment’s freedom of speech, political freedom, and equal protection. It is not good for Idaho's businesses who want to do business on a global scale and it will only slow down the process of residents learning English. If the legislature’s real goal is to encourage the learning of the English language, we would be better served by legislation that provided funding and programs for English learning. This legislation does nothing to advance such a goal.
This bill has already passed the full Senate and the House State
Affairs Committee. You can contact legislators by district at: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactbydistrict.cfm Or by name at http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/house/membership.cfm To find your district go to: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm
|