Idaho Republican lawmakers applaud Gov. Brad Little’s priorities

House Republican leaders welcomed Gov. Brad Little’s priorities for the 2025 legislative session but want to expand on them even further.

That’s especially true with the additional $100 million in tax cuts Little proposed in his State of the State address on Monday.

House Speaker Mike Moyle (R-Star) said he wants to at least triple that amount to $300 million, split between cuts to income, sales and property taxes.

Moyle said he’s also open to tweaking Idaho’s grocery tax, whether by eliminating it or increasing the annual credit the state’s residents receive.

“We have a good chance at the moment,” he said. “The economy and everything is just starting to get better.”

Neither he nor House Majority Leader Jason Monks (R-Meridian) provided details about the accountability measures they would agree to in a bill to subsidize private school tuition.

Little proposed allocating $50 million to such a program.

“You can’t take on more responsibility than a parent,” Monks said. “Who cares most about a child’s education? The parent. There is no bureaucrat who cares more about my child’s education than I do.”

This possible separation could be difficult considering that the governor has stated that he will not sign a bill that does not provide some form of authoritative accountability.

Joint Finance and Appropriations Vice Chairwoman Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls) and Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog (R-Meridian) said they would revisit a bill from last year that would create a refundable tax credit for private tuition fee subsidies.

Horman said Monday morning that her bill would prioritize families making less than 300% of the federal poverty level. That equates to an annual income of $93,600 for a family of four.

The duo’s proposal last year would have allowed parents to claim $5,000 per child or $7,500 for children with special needs.

“As chairman of the Appropriations Committee, budget-damaging bills are not my thing. Therefore, this bill will be capped at $50 million,” Horman said, nodding at criticism that such subsidies would eventually get out of control.

No law has been passed yet. Legislative committee meetings begin Tuesday.

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