Chris Cargill

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.

This year, Idaho lawmakers introduced more than 800 pieces of legislation—again. That’s not a one-off spike. It’s part of a clear trend: more bills, more activity, and more output from a citizen legislature that was never designed to operate at this scale.