" Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. "
Martin Luther King, Jr.
LIST OF ISSUES
EDUCATION
Idaho spends very little on education compared with other states, ranking 48th in per-pupil spending, with $6,899 allotted per student.
Much of the debate around education spending points back to a 2006 tax overhaul that left education spending on precarious ground. An Idaho Education News analysis found that the overhaul technically allowed for more taxable revenue for schools but created funding disparities among districts. The smallest, rural school districts were the hardest hit by the overhaul, as they have the most difficult time getting voters to pass supplemental levies.
In 2016, 18 percent of children, or 76,000, were living in poverty, a middle-of-the-pack ranking when compared with other states, the Kids Count Data Center found.
Teacher pay is also taking center stage. An analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data found teachers in Idaho make an average of $47,000 per year, 44th in the nation. This issue topped Otter’s agenda at the beginning of the legislative session, and the state is in the midst of a politically popular five-year, $250 million plan to boost teacher pay that has produced raises of 2 percent in 2015–16, 2.9 percent in 2016–17, and 3.6 percent in 2017–18, Idaho Education News reports.
Nearly 80 percent of Idaho students graduate from high school, four percentage points below the national average. But test scores are slightly above the national average, according to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, with 40 percent of fourth-graders and 35 percent of eighth-graders proficient in math and 38 percent of fourth-graders and 39 percent of eighth-graders proficient in reading.
As for school choice, the state House passed a bill last month to support the creation of tax-credit scholarships, though the measure has not made further progress. Idaho has just over 50 charter schools, and the strength of its 20-year-old charter law was given a middle-of-the-pack ranking this year from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. The state does not have a school voucher program, as the constitution prohibits it.
Early education is still very limited. Idaho remains one of six states that do not fund preschool, despite several attempts to change this, including a bill last year. But the legislature won’t budge, for reasons that many say boil down to a belief in the limited role of government and the idea that families should be primary caregivers for their young children.
The state was also in the national spotlight this year for a controversy over climate change in its science standards. After removing mentions of human-caused climate change last year, the Idaho legislature reversed itself this year after protests and approved new standards that included them. The 74
HEALTHCARE
Organizers with Close the Gap Idaho say lawmakers should advance legislation that would expand Medicaid eligibility to roughly 35,000 residents and lower premiums for those who purchase health coverage on the state-based health insurance exchange. However, that bill has since been deemed dead for the year due to a lack of Republican support.
"If you're a parent, that means, in a family of three, if you make more than $5,000 per year you cannot qualify for Medicaid in our state," Dr. Andrea Christopher said.
About 78,000 working Idahoans are believed to be in the gap population that earns too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to qualify for insurance subsidies.
"How on earth can there be a situation where thousands of people make too much money to get help and too little money?" Nichole Stull, an advocate speaking at the rally, said. "That is a bizarre, bizarre place to be."
Idaho could resolve this gap population by expanding Medicaid eligibility, as allowed under the Affordable Care Act, but lawmakers have repeatedly rejected such efforts.
Organizers are also asking lawmakers to solve for Idaho's physician shortage. Idaho currently ranks 49th in the nation for physicians percapita.
Legislative budget writers approved a boost in funding for medical residencies for the state next year. Twenty-five new residencies would be added under the proposed budget, but speakers at the rally say more could be done so that residents can access health care.
"On behalf of my field, on behalf of our state, on behalf of the friends and family that I have lost to mental illness, that you have lost to mental illness, please, let's decrease these barriers and close the gap," Dr. Ryan Billington, a psychiatry resident in Boise from Kootenai County, said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
DIVERSITY
“Democrats will always fight to end discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability."
-Democratic Party Platform
Every American, no matter their race, sex, ethnicity or national origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability, is equal, and Democrats are fighting for them. Democrats have a long and proud history of defending civil rights and expanding opportunity for all Americans. From the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009 to including marriage equality in the party platform in 2012, Democrats have fought to end discrimination in all forms. If the Trump Administration threatens a group of Americans simply because of who they are or what they believe, Democrats will fight for our core values of equality for everyone.
We are committed to protecting voting rights, freedom of religion, women’s right to make their own health care decisions, and equal federal rights for LGBT couples. We must also strive for criminal justice reform, as well as common sense approaches to reduce and prevent gun violence.
No matter who you are, who you love, where you’re from, or how you worship, Democrats are fighting for you.