The Blog at MSPC

House Bill 516 does not ban unions. It does not prevent teachers from joining them. It does not end collective bargaining. Even critics admit as much. What it does is far simpler — it stops government from acting as the middleman for union operations.

Over the past decade, Idaho lawmakers steadily reduced the state’s top income tax rate—from 7.4% in 2014 to a flat 5.3% today. Critics warned of budget shortfalls, underfunded services, and fiscal instability. Instead, Idaho is collecting more revenue than ever.

Lawmakers across our region were very busy during the 2026 Legislative Sessions. More than 2,300 combined bills were introduced in Washington (1,157), Idaho (817), and Wyoming (335). There wasn’t a legislative session this year in Montana. Several of Mountain States Policy Center’s (MSPC) recommendations were among those to make it across the finish line.

Across Idaho, citizens and journalists have faced inconsistent rules about whether they could film or record public meetings. In some cases, they were told to stop. In others, policies varied from one city or school district to the next. The result wasn’t transparency—it was confusion.

Idaho homebuyers have few attainable choices in the existing marketplace. These proposed policies deregulate the housing restrictions that are barring new entrants, creating more attainable choices in the marketplace.  

As Idaho’s application window for the Parental Choice Tax Credit has come to a close, the final numbers tell a powerful story. We now know the final numbers submitted to the state tax commission by the the March 15 deadline: 6,069 families applied, covering 13,568 students across the state.

By working together, educators and industry leaders can ensure that students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the future AI economy. Through thoughtful collaboration and forward-thinking policies, Idaho is working to prepare students not only to navigate the AI age but to lead it.

Transparency is high on the list of every politician’s priorities. They should follow them instead of opting to promote a more opaque government that gives unions a massive gift in the form of easy fundraising.

Supporters of the current system often emphasize that the federal government pays the majority of the cost. That is true. But it misses a key point: the state share still approaches $1 billion annually, and it grows as the program expands.

While the goal of reducing bias in government technology is reasonable, the bill’s approach could discourage innovation, reduce competition, and ultimately limit Idaho’s access to the very tools policymakers want government to use responsibly.

U.S. energy demand is expected to rise by about 3.5% each year through 2040. There is already severe stress on our aging energy infrastructure, even before accounting for the power-hungry needs of new technologies.

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

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

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.

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.

"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.”

Even under the most conservative assumptions, thousands of Idaho families are expected to participate — a strong indication that educational choice is not a niche issue, but a mainstream priority.