ADVOCACY UPDATE

Stay up-to-date on your city and state's government affairs

By Tori Thomas, Community and Government Affairs Manager

Dear Readers,

The legislature officially adjourned on Thursday, April 6th, just 2 weeks after their original hopeful adjournment! Your Chamber’s Policy Committee worked hard this session to ensure Idaho continues to be the best place to live, visit and do business. Listed below are a just a few of our 2023 wins:

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House bill 24, Senate Bill 1167 (Trailer), Launch Program - The Boise Chamber was one of the first chamber’s in the valley to support this legislation. This expansion offers up to $8,000 to 2024 graduates to pursue in-demand career certifications and degrees. Using a portion of the dedicated funds from House Bill 1 introduced during the special session in September 2022, this will hopefully enable our businesses to grow and the next generation to remain in Idaho.

House Bill 376, Property Tax - The Boise Metro Chamber’s goal has always been to advocate for tax relief; however, never at the cost of education. This bill offers relief to homeowners and businesses, while ensuring school and transportation funding are considered.

House Bill 170, State Agencies/Sponsorships - This legislation would prevent state agencies from sponsoring non-governmental organizations. This impacts so many different industries, including your local Chambers, nonprofit organizations, tourism departments, and all the sports events that help grow our state’s economy. We are grateful to see this legislation not make it through this session, however we expect some sort of variation will be introduced next year. We will continue to advocate for the appropriate definition of sponsorship within this legislation.

We are grateful to our elected officials and all the work they do for Idaho. We will continue to advocate for our business community and the success of our state.