What's Next? You Tell Us!

Recap on the 2022 Session

​The legislative session is over. This was my first session as CEO of the Idaho Nonprofit Center so there was a lot to take in and a lot to learn. For most of the session, it feels like keeping your head above water is the goal. 

So what did we learn and what can nonprofits in Idaho take away from the legislature's work this session? Let’s dive in…

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Appropriations, Appropriations, Appropriations (aka money for nonprofits)
Mostly without controversy, the legislature got a number of key appropriations through that nonprofits will benefit immensely from. Many of these appropriations involved federal dollars (which are never a guarantee in Idaho’s political environment) from sources like the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Nonprofit subsectors that will benefit include:

• Funding for Childcare – Many nonprofits are involved in providing or supporting childcare efforts across the state; Wage enhancements are also included for providers.
• Funding for Workforce Housing – Helps address some of the current statewide housing crisis needs
• Funding for Emergency Rental Assistance – Helps keep people housed amidst an unsustainable rise in rental costs statewide
• Funding for the Arts – Arts organizations will have access to grant dollars
• Funding for Senior Programs – Meals on Wheels, Senior Centers around the state. Most of these programs are operated by local nonprofits around the state
• Funding for Domestic Violence Programs
• Funding for Health Disparities Grants – will help fund nonprofit programs across the state addressing population health and outcomes

Liquor Donations for Nonprofits
An antiquated Idaho law was updated and now Idaho nonprofits will be able to accept both beer and liquor donations to serve at events or in gift baskets, etc. Cheers to a small fundraising win!

Dignity for Refugees
A bill that passed the House but was killed in the Senate would have required refugees to report additional personal information to local and city authorities above and beyond what is already reported to state agencies and the federal government during their resettlement vetting and placement.

This bill would have increased/added unnecessary reporting requirements on any nonprofit serving refugees in any way (including churches). More than that, however, the bill was just not “Idaho Kind.” The refugee serving nonprofits in the state did a great job of fighting this bill and we were happy to advocate against this bill becoming law on multiple grounds.
 
Racial Covenants
Outdated, racist covenants in old property deeds were addressed, giving property owners a long overdue way to update those covenants to be in compliance with the Fair Housing Act. 

Coronavirus Pause Act
We were grateful to see the Governor veto a bill we advocated against which would have restricted private businesses (including nonprofits) from making their own organizational decisions around the ability to put an employee vaccine mandate in place.

The bill also would have potentially fined private businesses who had employee vaccine mandates in place. Governor Little vetoed this bill on the grounds that it would have “significantly expanded government overreach” into the decisions that private employers set around health and safety protocols. We agree. 

Unemployment Insurance Rate Stabilization
Advocacy isn’t always glamorous and sometimes the boring stuff can make the biggest difference for nonprofits. That’s why we keep a close eye on things like the tax code and employment/insurance policy issues.

​H450 will provide unemployment rate insurance stability for the next two years, saving Idaho employers (including nonprofits) an estimated $64M in payments over the next two years. Every dollar we can spend on mission critical items counts, right?

Check out other bills we tracked, monitored, and advocated for or against during the last session

2022 Bill Tracker

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What's Next?

What’s next for policy and advocacy at the Idaho Nonprofit Center.

We are building a statewide advocacy coalition made up of nonprofits executives from every region and subsector (e.g. human services, health, arts, animals, environment, etc.) to help nonprofits expand their advocacy voice and reach throughout our state. 

Our goal is to make sure our statehouse and Governor’s office know what nonprofits’ needs are and work just as hard to help our sector as they do for other industries and employment sectors. Nonprofits are a powerful force for good in Idaho and it’s past time that we start flexing our advocacy muscle as a sector to make our needs known. \

What’s important to you? Let us know at kbailey@idahononprofits.org.