The 2020 Legislative Session was one for the history books.
And history won’t be kind to Idaho because this year’s session proved to be a constant attack on the civil liberties we hold near and dear to our hearts. First and foremost – we were the first in the county to pass an extreme anti-transgender bill that would bar trans girls and women from competing in sports in Idaho.
Lawmakers also voted to defy a federal court order by passing legislation that bars transgender people from updating the gender marker on their Idaho birth certificate. And our proactive work linked to our Fair Chance Employment Act, legislation that would have removed employment barriers for formerly incarcerated Idahoans, ended in a stunning defeat when lawmakers attached a hostile amendment that would have preempted cities and counties from enacting non-discrimination ordinances to protect LGBTQ Idahoans.
Needless to say – 2020 was a year of constant and dehumanizing attacks on the community. But where there is loss, there is also opportunity for growth. Despite the constant setbacks at the statehouse, the most inspiring part of this year’s legislative session was seeing hundreds of Idahoans from across the state flooding the statehouse to hold lawmakers accountable for their votes. When the people’s house is filled with members of the public, it’s always a beautiful sight. We invite you to read on to learn more about our 2020 legislative work and don’t forget to review our scorecard so you can track how your elected officials voted on issues pertaining to civil rights.
By the Numbers...
- 75 days in the 2020 legislative session
- 105 legislators in both the House and Senate
- 3 ACLU lobbyists present in the Statehouse
- 79 bills tracked
- 28 hearings where ACLU staff testified or submitted written testimony
- 14 bills ACLU supported
- 24 bills ACLU opposed
2020 Legislative Scorecard
How the Scorecard is created:
We make sure that all legislators know our position prior to voting on important civil liberties issues by distributing a floor statement explaining our position. We then select a range of key civil liberties issues to include in our scorecard.
Please note: there are more scores for the Senate then there are the House because the Senate ultimately took action on more ACLU priority issues – meaning there are full Senate floor votes to count that can be included in our scorecard. SB 1275 (Six Month of Birth Control) and 1318 (Fair Chance Employment) were not voted on by the House, and HB 469 (Mandatory Minimums) was not voted on by the Senate.