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The Blog at MSPC
A small victory for families - Idaho Senate passes expansion of Empowering Parents program
The Idaho Senate today passed SB 1161, an expansion of the state’s Empowering Parents program. The vote was 19-15-1. It now heads to the...
Mar 16, 20232 min read
Montana advances increase in tax credit scholarships
The Montana House is advancing legislation that would more than double the amount of donations that could be accepted for both the...
Mar 16, 20231 min read
Property tax relief & reform moves forward
In Montana, it's a done deal, signed by Governor Greg Gianforte. In Idaho, it's almost there. The surging cost of property taxes...
Mar 14, 20232 min read
Idaho Senate committee passes expansion of Empowering Parents program
Some progress is being made to expand education choice options in Idaho. The Idaho Senate Education committee today passed SB 1161, an...
Mar 14, 20232 min read
Advisory vote on education choice is simplistic & unwise - here's a better idea
The Idaho House Education Committee is considering a proposal to place an advisory question before voters next fall (2024) regarding...
Mar 14, 20232 min read
Montana boasts largest tax cut in state history
When it comes to having a competitive tax environment, Montana is stepping-up its game. Governor Greg Gianforte has signed a flurry of...
Mar 14, 20231 min read
Idaho House Education committee again blocks more education choice
If additional education choice is going to come to the Gem State, it won't be originating in the Idaho House Education Committee. Today,...
Mar 14, 20233 min read
Try, try again on expanding education choice in Idaho
Education choice is on the agenda again as the Idaho legislature comes down the home stretch. This week, two bills will be heard in...
Mar 13, 20232 min read
Property tax headache – what’s the plan?
One of the number one tax complaints throughout the state is the increasing cost to afford the property tax on a home. A surge in the...
Mar 9, 20232 min read
Here’s what’s in the new Idaho education choice bill
The Idaho state Senate is now considering a new education choice bill – SB 1144 – that seeks to expand the state’s already-successful...
Mar 7, 20232 min read
How competition can lower worker’s comp costs and improve outcomes
Workers' compensation is defined by the United States Centers for Disease Control as, “systems [that] were established to provide partial...
Mar 7, 20231 min read
No one is proposing school “vouchers”
In the sometimes-heated debate over bringing more education choice options to the region, Republicans, Democrats, and some in the media...
Mar 6, 20232 min read
Second Idaho ESA proposal doesn't even get hearing
It's hard to make sense of the strategy in advancing additional education choice options in the Idaho legislature - if there even is one....
Mar 2, 20233 min read
Income tax rates going down in Montana
Montana is joining the ever-growing list of states cutting its state income tax rate. The state legislature has given final approval to...
Mar 2, 20231 min read
Where things stand with ed choice proposals across the region
A flurry of legislation throughout the Mountain States has made it difficult to track everything that’s going on. In Washington state,...
Mar 1, 20232 min read
Homeschool Parents: It’s time to support Education Savings Accounts
If there is one thing homeschool families have in common, it’s the desire to be left alone about their education choices. Parents go to...
Feb 28, 20234 min read
Free markets, education and short-sightedness
During the lengthy debate over Idaho Senate Bill 1038 on the Idaho Senate floor on Monday, Senator Carrie Semmelroth used an unusual...
Feb 27, 20232 min read
Net farm income in the Mountain States decreasing from record highs
Farm input costs are on the rise, land is less available and less affordable, and the added stress has brought little in the way of...
Feb 27, 20232 min read
First Idaho ESA bill this session fails Senate vote... but stay tuned
"It's a journey," Idaho Senator Dave Lent said, before voting against Senate Bill 1038 - the first bill of the session to create...
Feb 27, 20232 min read
Idaho Senate puts initiative changes to voters
A constitutional amendment that would change the way the citizens of Idaho gather signatures for an initiative is one step closer to...
Feb 27, 20232 min read
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