BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho legislative committee is reviewing a draft bill titled the “Freedom of Inquiry in Higher Education,” presented by Republican Senator Ben Toews. The proposal aims to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices from state-funded colleges and universities and redirect those resources to academic support programs for all students.

“My goal is to work together with our higher education partners to move us in the right direction of guaranteeing the freedom of speech and freedom of thought, which I actually believe we all desire to have on our college campuses,” Toews said.

The drafted bill would prohibit public universities from funding or supporting identity-based DEI offices, with the exception of tribal centers. It would also prevent schools from requiring students to take DEI courses unless they are part of a chosen academic program.

Toews said the bill is modeled after policies in other states.

“We’re looking for what’s worked in other places to attempt to make sure that our universities and higher education institutions have that freedom of thought that we want,” he said.

However, Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, a Democrat, criticized the proposal, saying the committee’s focus is misplaced.

“It doesn’t feel like a productive working group. And in fact, it’s really troubling that we’re spending this amount of time and resources on talking about something that the government really shouldn’t have a role in,” Wintrow said. “We should really be focusing on what’s important to students—and that’s affordability, making sure they can pay for school, get to school, find a place to live and study and thrive.”

Josh Whitworth, executive director of the Idaho State Board of Education, said it’s important to support all students without isolating specific identity groups.

“The question is, as an institution, we want to make sure that the services that they need are not focused down on their identity, but focused on what they need,” Whitworth said. “The idea is don’t just create little groups. How do you give the support of all students to engage together and really create that holistic environment?”

The committee will continue reviewing the draft bill in the coming weeks.

Most Idaho state employees could see about a 5% raise come July in a recommendation approved by a legislative committee Thursday.

Specifically, the proposal calls for a $1.55 hourly pay bump. That works out to at least a 5% raise for those earning less than $64,500 annually.

Democrats on the Change in Employee Compensation Committee, like Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking (D-Boise), voted against the measure, saying it didn’t go far enough – especially for higher paid workers.

“I’m worried that they’re not even going to keep up with the cost of living and that’s really a problem for me,” Ward-Engelking said.

After experiencing some of the highest rates of inflation in the country in 2022, prices in the Mountain region rose just 1.7% from November 2023 to November 2024.

The latest data from an Idaho Department of Human Resources labor market study show state workers here, on average, earn 15.1% less than the median wage of public and private sector employees in the region.

That’s also factoring in healthcare and retirement benefits, which are more generous than the private sector.

Base salaries across Idaho state workers are 25.1% below average compared to the median regional public and private sector employees.

The CEC Committee approved an 8% pay raise for Idaho State Police troopers to help retain and recruit more officers.

“It takes years of training and expense to produce a trooper with the experience to handle all the things that a trooper has to handle and this has become, in my opinion, a public safety issue,” said Sen. Dan Foreman (R-Viola).

Nurses and healthcare staff would get a 3% raise under the plan, with IT workers earning up to 4.5% pay hikes.

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee will consider the recommendation before finalizing a bill.

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Idaho firefighters are making their way to assist and protect communities threatened by wildfires burning in the greater Los Angeles area in southern California.

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, and at least five fires are burning covering more than 45 square miles there, according to NBC News.

The state of Idaho is mobilizing five task forces in a response to a request from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, according to a press release from the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.

“The Idaho Office of Emergency Management and the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association have coordinated efforts to evaluate available resources across the state,” and ” stand ready to provide additional assistance as needed,” the press release said.

As of Wednesday evening, 104 firefighters and 25 fire engines from Idaho were preparing to deploy this morning to support California’s response efforts, and the task forces are set to arrive in southern California on Friday, the press release stated. The task forces were mobilized from fire agencies throughout the state, including personnel from the city of Emmett and Kootenai County, as well as the Idaho National Laboratory in southern Idaho.

“Emergencies like these remind us of the critical importance of teamwork and mutual aid,” said Idaho Fire Chiefs Association President Kirk Carpenter in the release. “Idaho firefighters are prepared to join the fight in California, standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners to protect communities in harm’s way.”

The assistance compact has been invaluable to states facing wildfire, “ensuring that states can rely on each other during crises,” said Idaho Office of Emergency Management Director Brad Richy said in the release.

“After receiving support during our own wildfire seasons, Idaho is proud to return the favor by providing resources and personnel to help protect California’s communities,” he said.

The Emergency Management Assistance Compact was ratified by the U.S. Congress (Public Law 104-321) in 1996 and applies to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The compact’s members can share personnel and resources from all disciplines, protect personnel who deploy to emergencies and be reimbursed for mission-related costs, according to the compact’s website.

“The EMAC is a vital interstate compact that provides a proven mutual aid framework allowing states to share resources during times of disaster or emergency,” the release stated. “All costs associated with deploying resources under EMAC are paid for by the requesting state.”