As the 2024 legislative session comes to a close, I would like to look back on the impact of the Idaho Republican Party on our political process.

Just before the session began, the Idaho GOP State Central Committee met to consider a series of resolutions proposed by precinct committeemen throughout our state. The purpose of these resolutions is to present a platform for Republican legislators to pass laws that reflect the will of the Republican grassroots.

Our legislative liaisons, Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld and Rep. Julianne Young, did a great job representing the party at the Capitol this year. I want to highlight three bills that started as Idaho GOP resolutions and ended up signed into law.

Resolution 2024-21 called for mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl trafficking. The Legislature responded with House Bill 406, which the governor signed into law in February. Resolution 2024-10 admonished the city of Boise for passing an ordinance requiring property owners to accept federal housing assistance. Republicans in the Legislature responded with House Bill 585, making such ordinances unlawful, and the governor signed it last week.

Finally, Resolution 2024-22 was drafted in response to the State Supreme Court’s decision that private organizations can ban carrying firearms on public property. This egregious loophole in our state law allows city governments to bypass the 2nd Amendment by leasing out parks and other public areas to private groups.

The resolution called for a law to force private groups to ensure adequate security if they decided to infringe upon our right to self-defense. The Legislature went even further, passing Senate Bill 1374 to ensure that no citizen attending an event open to the public on public land has his or her rights infringed upon.

I’m proud of the work done by our Precinct Committeeman and Republican legislators on these issues. This is a great example of a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

Unfortunately, the Legislature made some mistakes this year as well. Senate Bill 1234, mandating that insurance companies reimburse for six months of contraception at a time, passed with a minority of Republican support in both chambers. This has been a high priority of the other party for many years, so I was disappointed to see some Republicans make common cause with the Democrats to pass this bill. S1234 represents more government meddling in private industry, and we’re all going to pay the price in the form of higher premiums down the line.

Our government is ultimately answerable to the people, which means it is your responsibility to hold our lawmakers accountable. This June in Coeur d’Alene, the Idaho GOP will once again debate our party platform and vote on resolutions for the Legislature to consider during the 2025 session. I hope to see you all there!