2013 legislative end of session letter April 4, 2013

April 4, 2013

Dear Citizens of District 7:

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the Idaho State Senate. It is my honor to represent District 7 in Boise.
Thank you for communicating your thoughts, concerns, and opinions on various legislative issues which were presented before the State Senate. Your efforts to communicate your opinions and votes are truly appreciated as it helped me determine what is best for our district prior to voting. I appreciate especially your actions in response to issues about which I contacted you.
This year I had the privilege to serve on the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee, Judiciary and Rules Committee, and as vice-chair of Health and Welfare Committee. Despite the difficult work load of these committees, it was an opportunity to work on important legislation.
The biggest battle this year was the State Health Insurance Exchange:

H248, the State Healthcare Exchange Bill- This bill establishes a state based Health Insurance Exchange as prescribed by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Since the State Exchange implements Obamacare, which requires us to pay for insurance, that includes abortion inducing-drugs, sterilization, and contraception, it denies our right to life, religion, and property. Twice, twelve senators (including myself) heroically debated against the exchange. Additionally, the State Exchange bill itself has many flaws to it that leaches control from Idaho's sovereignty. A sad moment in Idaho's history for freedom, the bill passed into law, despite the fact that we have private enterprise options. The fight is still on. I encourage you to fight back. It is possible to boycott the Exchange, continue with free market solutions, or join health care sharing ministries. We did not win the biggest battle this year, but we have not lost the war. This is the link to my second debate against the exchange: www.idahoreporter.com/2013/sen-sheryl-nuxoll-debat...hange
Other bills and issues I worked on this year were:

S1100, Health Care Sharing Ministries Bill- This bill defines Health Care Sharing Ministries as charitable organizations that cater to people of similar faith who voluntarily choose to help each other pay their medical bills. They limit their participants to those of similar faith. The organization is just a facilitator of the contributions among the participants who have financial or medical needs. This bill, which passed into law, defined the ministry and exempted them from the definition of an insurance company. The ministry is also exempted from Obamacare, removing penalties for not buying insurance.
H192, Enhanced Conceal Carry License- The Enhanced Concealed Carry License bill creates a new class of conceal carry permits in Idaho in addition to the conceal carry license we already have in the state. This new class will require more training and minimum standards, but will allow those who bear the license to carry concealed in more situations as a necessary step to further advance our 2nd Amendment rights. This bill was passed into law.
H219, Federal Firearm Enforcement Act- which prohibits state officials and state law enforcement from enforcing federal gun bans, was stopped in the Senate State Affairs Committee. I co-sponsored and support H219, which protects our 2nd Amendment rights. The right to bear arms is critical to our freedom.
H 1184, The National Defense Authorization Act- which would not allow the federal government to detain any citizen without due process of trial, was also refused a hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee. I co-sponsored this important bill and had hoped for a vote on this bill. It would counteract the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by Congress, that strips citizens of their right to trial by jury and protects us from being found guilty without proof.
HCR 022, Transfer of Title of Federal Lands Resolution- This bill calls on the Federal Government to cede title of the federally controlled public lands, such as National Forests, back to the control of the state. Time and time again the federal government has failed to maintain lands in Idaho. The transfer of lands back to Idaho would allow a stable income for our schools and protect our recreational activities.
H 315, Personal Property Tax Bill- passed, which allows for a $100,000 exemption on business personal property, and a $3000 exemption on a small item of tangible personal property.
Youth Challenge Program- We are very excited that the Youth Challenge Program, run by the National Guard, received its funding authority for Idaho dropouts at Pierce, Idaho.
Finance Committee's Medicaid and Education Budget- The largest budgets in the state are the Education and Medicaid budgets. The Education budget of $1.6 billion was approved. This includes federal funding of $215 million. The Medicaid budget of $2.02 billion passed. The Medicaid budget includes $1.34 billion in federal funds. The Division of Welfare budget of $143 million was approved also. Federal funding in that budget is $100 million. It is worthy to note that with federal moneys, the Medicaid budget is more than the Education budget. The Medicaid budget comprises 80% of the Health and Welfare budget.
Education Bills that have passed were a result of input from the IEA, School Boards Association, and the public. However, the new education bills did not change tenure or scope of negotiations.
Again, it is very important for you to call, email, or testify. Testimony by citizens is extremely powerful.
George Washington said, "Of all the dispositions that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters." In a world without God or religion, the state is supreme. In a state that banishes God, we are bending the knee before the secular state.
Patrick Henry said, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
With Warmest Regards,


Senator Sheryl Nuxoll



Those are a few of the issues I thought may be of interest.
For a complete list of legislation and a record of how each legislator voted, please see legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2013/minidata.ht...a.htm






https://chumly.com/n/1b4e54c

Week 12 review

Week 12 Review-



This week was supposed to be the last week of the legislature for this session. However, due to some major concerns with the public school budget appropriation bill, the bill was killed and now JFAC must establish a new budget that includes remedies to the concerns in the budget.
I voted against the budget appropriation bill because I had serious concerns with the process that was taken to draft the budget as it was. Hopefully, by reviewing the budget again, we can create a public school budget that follows input and the education policies. A few of the other education bills have passed.
The Personal Property Tax (H 315) passed, which allows for $100,000 exemption on business personal property, and a $3000 exemption on a small item of tangible personal property. It provides a mechanism that protects local cities and counties from feeling a major tax shift. While I would like to see the whole tax repealed with the counties having revenue independence from state revenue, this bill was a reasonable and responsible step in the right direction.
This week, H219 and H280-the 2nd Amendment Protection bills, and S1133 the School Safety and Security Plan bill, have fallen prey to political games. H219 and H280 were held in the Senate State Affairs committee due to timing issues and legal questions. Because of these actions all three bills are stalemated. I urge you to call your Legislators and urge them to move forward with the bills that you are concerned about.
https://chumly.com/n/1b33f36

My talk against compulsory assessment of vaccinations

1. This is taken from Life Notes-3/28/13. The advent of the vaccine was a major milestone in medicine, saving millions of lives. The vaccine process works by collecting samples of the actual virus, then growing and altering them in the laboratory to make a weakened strain of the disease. There must be a medium of cell culture to grow in, and tragically many are made from aborted human babies, some from known parents who are still alive today. The vaccines themselves do not contain fetal cells, but it is presumed that there is residual biological matter from the fetal cells that has been assimilated into the vaccine.
Many of these vaccines are cultured in cell lines originating from aborted fetuses, such as MMR, Pentacel, Quadracel, Hepatitis, and chicken pox vaccines. There are no US alternatives to the fetal cell lines for Chickenpox, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Shingles, and Hepatitis A. Why should pro-life families in this state who can still afford health insurance be forced to pay for these vaccines, especially if they have chosen to not use these vaccines for themselves or their children.


2. According to Politico Pulse ,dated 3/21, one in 50 school aged children had an autism diagnosis from 2011-2012-increased from 1 per 100. Now I do not blame this on just vaccinations, and I have all of my children vaccinated, but there are 1000's of parents in the US who claim that vaccinations have caused their child to become autistic. I do not believe that immunizations always cause autism, but the number of vaccinations has increased and so has the number of autistic children. There are no conclusive studies yet, so why are we pushing this issue with parents against this choice. Of course, we say that parents have the choice, but as a parent, I know that printed material put out at the schools and doctors offices makes the parents believe that there is no choice. If child immunization is voluntary and there are so many parents who believe that there child has become autistic through vaccinations, why are we continuing the extension of the Immunization Assessment Board who stated purpose is to increase uptake of already purchased vaccines for children to make sure that over 90% of Idaho's children are vaccinated.
3. In other words, the complulsory assessment on the insurance carrier increases the cost of insurance, even on families who desire not to immunizes their children.
4. I encourage a no vote on HB 178
https://chumly.com/n/1b2e8a5

Week 11 Review

Week 11 Review-



The state exchange bill, HB248, passed the Senate 23 to 12 on Thursday. Twelve of us fought valiantly in debate to try to stop this monumental injustice from coming to Idaho. The 23 Senators who voted for the exchange said that they despise Obamacare, but they think that the state will have more control with a state exchange over a federal exchange. I truthfully believe that we will have less control. If you wish to see my debate, please email me and I will send it to you. The bill now goes to the governor for his signature where he will inevitably sign the measure into law. This is a sad moment in Idaho's history. Those of us who stood up against the idea of having our rights taken away have not given up. I would encourage our citizens to start a referendum.
The various gun bills have made a lot of movement this week. H0183, the measure prohibiting cities and counties from regulating conceal carry, has passed through committee and is awaiting a vote on the senate floor. H0192, the measure that creates a new class of concealed carry called enhanced concealed carry, was passed by the committee as well and is also awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. H0219, the bill prohibiting state officials and state law enforcement from enforcing federal gun bans, has been held up in the State Affairs committee and will probably not be moving forward during this session. Please be sure to contact the State Senate Affairs committee to urge them to pass this bill out of committee.
A bill, which would not allow the federal government to detain any citizen without due process of trial, is also being refused a hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee. This bill would counteract the National Defense Authorization Act which was passed by Congress which strips citizens of their right to trial by jury which protects us from being found guilty without proof. Please contact the Senate State Affairs Committee about this bill.
Several Education bills were undertaken this week, including the bill to pass the education budget. The House voted for the Public Education budget 52-16, the budget will now be coming to the Senate for a vote. Additionally, the senate education and state affairs committee's have heard bills regarding teacher contracts being conducted in public meetings and contracts negotiated should only last one year. This would allow school districts to adjust contracts with the flows of their budgets. SB 1148 which would have allowed flexibility in number of school days to ward off expenses in an economically bad year failed on the Senate floor. SB 1149 which requires good faith negotiations with the teachers passed.
The personal property tax repeal bill (H0315) has been passed by the House and has been passed by the Senate Local Government and Taxation committee and is waiting to go before the Senate Floor. This measure would remove an archaic and costly tax burden on businesses by extending the exemptions to many small businesses and reductions to larger businesses. I still want to make sure that the tax is removed in such a way as to not cause a huge tax shift burden on the county or individual Idahoans.
https://chumly.com/n/1b10c5d

Week 10 Review

Week 10 Review-



With a 9 hour debate on Wednesday, even though many good representatives desperately and heroically tried to stop the State Exchange (H248), the bill passed 41-29. H248 will again come to the Senate for consideration. The Commerce Committee will be holding another hearing about H248 in the auditorium on Tuesday at 1:30 pm. Since the State Exchange is against life, liberty, and property, I and many other Senators will try to stop such a travesty from happening in Idaho as it comes to the floor for debate.
Many of the bills relating to our 2nd amendment rights have been moving through the process this week. H219, which prevents state law enforcement and state officials from enforcing any new federal gun regulations, passed in the House and will be heard in the Senate. H192, which creates an additional concealed weapons permit (called enhanced concealed permit), passed in the House and is will be heard in the Senate State Affairs committee. H183, which prohibits cities and counties from regulating concealed carry, has passed in the House and is also waiting a hearing in the Senate State affairs committee. All of these bills are great measures to protect and expand our 2nd amendment rights, please give them your support! ( question: if counties are no longer responsible for concealed carry permits, who is?)
The personal property tax is becoming a major issue during this late part of the session. The personal property tax is a tax which is placed on personal property of business. It is an unfair burden on business. The problem is that repeal of such a tax causes a loss to the counties which are already struggling with their expenses. We do not want the tax shifted to real property and we should not expect the counties to have to depend on state monies to replace the tax revenue. I am open to good suggestions.
On Monday the Senate passed SB 1108 which would allow rural communities to have more of a say in the initiative process by requiring that 6% of registered voters in 18 of 35 legislative districts signal their support for the initiative to make the ballot.
On Friday, the Senate had the honor to unanimously pass SCR 124, a Senate Concurrent Resolution that honored five fallen Idaho servicemen. The five fallen servicemen who gave their lives in the service of their country are listed here: U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Daniel J. Brown, 27; U.S. Army Sergeant Chris J. Workman, 33; U.S. Army Private First Class Cody O. Moosman, 24; U.S. Army Specialist Ethan J. Martin, 22 and U.S. Army Private First Class Shane G. Wilson, 20. The families of each of the servicemen joined us as we gave thanks and memorialized the great sacrifice each has given for their country. Their ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten and it was a sobering reminder of why it is that we are Americans and Idahoans. May we honor those who willingly put their life on the line for us and those who have given their lives for the freedoms we cherish.
https://chumly.com/n/1ae931a

week 10 review corrected

Week 10 Review-corrected one



With a 9 hour debate on Wednesday, even though many good Representatives desperately and heroically tried to stop the State Exchange (H248), the bill passed 41-29. H248 will again come to the Senate for consideration. The Commerce Committee will be holding another hearing about H248 in the auditorium on Tuesday at 1:30 pm. Since the State Exchange is against life, liberty, and property, I and many other Senators will try to stop such a travesty from happening in Idaho as it comes to the floor for debate.
Many of the bills relating to our 2nd amendment rights have been moving through the process this week. H219, which prevents state law enforcement and state officials from enforcing any new federal gun regulations, passed the House and is being sent to the Senate for approval. H192, which creates an enhanced concealed weapons permit, passed the House and will be heard in the Senate State Affairs committee. H183, which prohibits cities from regulating concealed carry, has passed the House and is also waiting a hearing in the Senate State affairs committee.
The personal property tax is becoming a major issue during this late part of the session. The personal property tax is a tax which is placed on personal property of businesses. It is an unfair burden on business. The problem is that repeal of such a tax causes a loss to the counties which are already struggling with their expenses. We do not want the tax shifted to real property and we should not expect the counties to have to depend on state monies to replace the tax revenue. I am open to good suggestions.
On Monday the Senate passed SB 1108 which would allow rural communities to have more of a say in the initiative process by requiring that 6% of registered voters in 18 of 35 legislative districts signal their support for the initiative to make the ballot.
On Friday, the Senate had the honor to unanimously pass SCR 124, a Senate Concurrent Resolution that honored five fallen Idaho servicemen. The five fallen servicemen who gave their lives in the service of their country are listed here: U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Daniel J. Brown, 27; U.S. Army Sergeant Chris J. Workman, 33; U.S. Army Private First Class Cody O. Moosman, 24; U.S. Army Specialist Ethan J. Martin, 22 and U.S. Army Private First Class Shane G. Wilson, 20. The families of each of the servicemen joined us as we gave thanks and memorialized the great sacrifice each has given for their country. Their ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten and it was a sobering reminder of why it is that we are Americans and Idahoans. May we honor those who willingly put their life on the line for us and those who have given their lives for the freedoms we cherish.
https://chumly.com/n/1ae931e

State Exchange hearubg

The Senate hearing on the state exchange HB 248 will be at 1:30 pm on Tuesday the 19th in the auditorium.
https://chumly.com/n/1adedb7