New lawmakers share what they’ve learned after first legislative session
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IDAHO FALLS – As a freshman legislator, Josh Wheeler describes the last several months as enlightening and enjoyable.
The 46-year-old Ammon man was sworn-in as one of the newest members of the Idaho House of Representatives in December. He represents District 35, which includes parts of Bonneville, Teton, Caribou, Bear Lake and Bannock counties.
The 67th Idaho Legislature officially adjourned on April 6 after 88 days in session. Wheeler shared with EastIdahoNews.com what it was like participating in his first legislative proceeding.
“I was surprised at how much I enjoyed working with not just legislators, but also the staff, many constituents reached out to me throughout the session. There’s just a really great energy from my experience this session,” Wheeler says.
While some have described this session as being contentious, Wheeler says what he saw was a lot of passion from people who deeply care about their home state.
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One thing he wasn’t expecting was the amount of compromise among lawmakers as they worked together to pass legislation.
“One of the bills that passed that I voted for was HB 667, which fundamentally shifted how the state of Idaho interacts with the electrical industry. That bill was a huge work of compromise from people who have different points of view and different ways to approach things. They were able to come together and (ultimately find) a better solution,” says Wheeler.
Wheeler has been involved in his family’s business, Wheeler Electric, for the last 20 years.
One of the major issues of the 2023 legislative session was property taxes. HB 376, which amended a previous bill Gov. Brad Little vetoed, was voted into law. It provides $215 million of property tax relief directly to homeowners, and another $160 million for school districts to pay off bonds and levies.
These funds are provided through the collection of sales taxes.
RELATED | Idaho Senate overrides Gov. Little’s veto of property tax bill
Other signature pieces of legislation this session included several education-related bills. One of them is the Idaho Launch program, which provides an $8,500 grant to eligible high school graduates pursuing higher education.
But it’s HB 267 that Wheeler considers a major accomplishment. He says it will strengthen career technical education in the state.
“This is for sixth- through 12th-grade programs. It works to provide funding and support and gives priority to rural school districts. That’s a huge deal for me,” Wheeler says. “It also gives priority to education associations that find ways to partner with local industry or local private business. That means those career technical education programs can end up looking like the area they serve.”
Wheeler’s primary focus going into the session was to improve career technical and professional education opportunities for Idaho’s kids. He had a bill he was working on, which ultimately took a back seat because this legislation addressed the issue in a much better way. He was happy to support the Idaho Launch program and HB 267.
Another legislator learning the ropes
Stephanie Mickelsen, who also completed her first Legislative session as a representative for District 32 A, which covers most of Bonneville County, also enjoyed the experience, but was unprepared for the grueling pace and how tired she’d be. Every day began at 5 a.m. and ended between 10 p.m. and midnight.
And it was challenging for her to learn and navigate through procedural etiquette and protocol.
“I was recording a video of the guy who sits next to me to send to his wife because she’s my friend. Then I got told, ‘You can’t record on the floor.’ I was like ‘Ok. I didn’t know that.’ Then I said ‘Mr. Chairman’ instead of ‘Mr. Speaker’ (when I got up to speak on the House floor for the first time),” says Mickelsen.
As a lifelong farmer and chairwoman of the Bonneville-Jefferson Groundwater District, Mickelsen is passionate about water issues. She ran in hopes of finding a solution to an ongoing lawsuit about groundwater and surface water irrigation. She spent a lot of time negotiating and attending meetings about this issue, which you can read about here.
Wheeler is looking forward to his next Legislative session and feels better prepared to serve his constituents. He’s concerned about what he calls “weaponized apathy” when it comes to civic engagement at the national level. He encourages voters to be involved in the process.
Mickelsen specifically called out the Idaho Freedom Foundation as being “a horrible influence in Idaho politics.” She urges voters to be wary of any group that ranks or scores legislators on a specific issue.
“It doesn’t begin to tell the story of what the bills were or what the issues are and how they have to navigate that,” she says. “Voters need to sit down and visit with their senators and representatives. If they would take the time to do that, I think they would find that most of these people are trying to do a good job and do what’s best for Idaho.”