The Blog at MSPC

Growing up in the era of pagers and pay phones, I survived cell phone-free until college. As a mom to a teenage boy, I tried to stave off phone use as long as possible. Debates on appropriate screen time, talks about cyberbullying, and warnings about predators have become the norm. For most students, cell phones are an integral part of everyday life, and thus, their use in school has become a contentious issue. Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are each addressing cell

This new nuclear expansion by Meta and other tech companies sends a message to every major company with large energy needs. The nuclear landscape is different from what it has been in the past.

The proposal would raise Idaho’s income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.325% and repeal the Parental Choice Tax Credit — just months after families began applying for it.

Government payroll systems are funded by taxpayers to administer public education — not to facilitate political fundraising.

As one Idaho justice noted during oral arguments, lawmakers are capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time when it comes to education policy.

By opting into the federal scholarship tax credit program, Idaho continues to reinforce its commitment to education freedom and parental choice, ensuring families have greater access to resources that help tailor education to each child’s unique needs.

Much has been said about Idaho’s new $5,000 education tax credit and the $50 million price tag attached to it. Critics have framed it as a costly new entitlement at a time when the state faces budget pressures. But there’s a critical fact missing from much of the debate: When a student leaves the public school system and uses the tax credit instead, the state saves money. Here’s why. Idaho spends roughly $9,000 per student, per year, of state funds on public education. Under

To put that in perspective: if the students currently represented in applications formed a single public school district, it would rank as the 6th largest district in Idaho. And the application window doesn’t close until March 15.

Civic education doesn’t belong to one type of school or region. It belongs to everyone. Our hope is that teams will come from across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Eastern Washington, so students can meet peers from different communities, compete respectfully, and go home with a deeper appreciation for how our system works.

Government belongs to the people. The people don’t need permission to watch it work.

At its core, H542 does not merely regulate social media. It mandates the creation of a vast, permanent tracking system that would monitor how long every user spends online, trigger escalating identity checks, and store increasingly sensitive personal data. That should give every Idahoan pause.

Idaho’s regulatory stewardship is impressive, but there is always room for improvement. HB 539 offers these favorable reforms that protect the role of the legislature and limit the ability of the executive branch to go overboard with the definition of an ‘emergency.’

Since applications opened on January 15, a total of 6,030 families have applied, covering 10,105 students. That’s not a one-day surge. That’s nearly a month of steady participation.

Lawmakers who opposed the Parental Choice Tax Credit last year, advanced a new bill to cut it—by 4 percent immediately and another 5 percent in 2027—before the program has even fully begun.

Our Founders gave us a precious constitutional right to correct the federal government when it has gone off the rails. It is our privilege, and obligation, to use it, and Idaho has the opportunity to join the majority of other states that have voted to do so.

The Founders of the Constitution would not have provided the Article V option to the states if they were concerned that a “runaway convention” would undo all their hard work.

In a comprehensive opinion, the Court denied the petition for a writ of prohibition, dismissed the case in full, rejected every major constitutional theory advanced by the petitioners, and awarded attorney fees to the State. The result is about as close to a clean sweep as constitutional litigation gets.

The study evaluates four potential models—county-based, regional, proportional statewide, and legislative-district-based approaches—and assesses their legal viability, administrative complexity, and potential impact on campaign incentives.

Since applications opened on January 15, 5,056 families have applied for the credit, covering 9,341 students. That’s nearly three weeks of data, which gives us something much more useful than opening-day excitement alone: an actual pace.

"This is taxation without representation- something we fought a war over 250 years ago. I hope that Utah’s leaders realize that these dependencies run both ways, and as dependent as Idaho is on Utah for motor fuels, Utah is dependent on Idaho for water. I hope we don’t have to enter a cycle of mutual exploitation. I hope we can remain good friends and partners.”