BOISE — Drinking from a fire hose can be a little disconcerting at times, but for two freshman lawmakers from north central Idaho, it’s also been fun.
Sen. Robert Blair, R-Kendrick, didn’t even find out he’d be here until November. That’s when newly elected Lewiston Mayor and state Sen. Dan Johnson asked Blair to substitute for him for the 2022 session.
“It was like, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ ‘Great, pack your bags,’ ” Blair recalled.
Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, had a little more advance warning. She was appointed to office last May, after former Lewiston Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger resigned his seat. She attended the three-day session last November, when the 2021 session finally ended, but had to wait for the ’22 session to get the fully monty.
Both freshmen have been scrambling the past few weeks, learning the ins and outs of being a citizen legislator.
“The fun part is dealing with issues and trying to come up with solutions,” McCann. “And I get to meet wonderful people from all across the state.”
The challenging part, she said, has been finding enough time.
“The schedule is bananas,” McCann said. “Trying to find time to work on bills, sometimes I’m here until 10 at night and the people I need to talk to aren’t around. When they are around (during the day), I’m in committee.”
Nevertheless, she’s maintaining a sunny disposition.
“Early mornings, late nights — sleep is a memory. But would I do it again? In a heartbeat,” she said.
As a past president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association, Blair was familiar with how the Legislature works. However, he’s finding that the view from the inside is much more detailed and complex than the view from afar.
“When you go to the store and buy a bag of flour, you don’t notice all the steps that went into that — planting the grain, harvesting, transporting it, grinding it,” he said. “Those steps are basically what legislators deal with. That’s the process.”
Learning how to navigate the process effectively has been a challenge, Blair said, but diving into the details of administrative rules and legislation has also been informative.
“Idaho is one of only a handful of states where (the Legislature) takes the time to review administrative rules,” he said. “It’s one of the checks and balances the Legislature has over the executive branch. For me, that’s important. It’s also a good opportunity to dig into — and understand — how agencies operate.”
The candidate filing period runs from Feb. 28 to March 11, so McCann and Blair still have some time to decide if they’re interested in running for a full two-year term.
The good news, according to Reps. Charlie Shepherd, R-Pollock, and Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow, is that the freshman “deer-in-the-headlights” feeling quickly wears off.
Both were elected in 2020, so this is their second legislative session.
“I don’t feel like a fish out of water as much,” Shepherd said. “I’m able to do the job more effectively now, because I know the process.”
He’s already been able to get one bill through committee — a measure that would help more elderly, low-income Idahoans qualify for property tax relief. That legislation will be taken up on the House floor next week.
Another big change compared to last year, Shepherd said, is that lawmakers are interacting with stakeholders more directly, versus the Zoom meetings and electronic communications that predominated last year.
“I’m a face-to-face kind of guy,” Shepherd said. “I think it’s a more effective way to do business.”
Mitchell is also finding that he’s more effective now. After going through the steep learning curve that every legislator experiences their freshman year, he understands the issues better. He’s also building on the relations he developed last year.
“I’m feeling more comfortable in committee,” he said. “And I feel like I can reach out to bill sponsors more, to ask what’s the reason for the legislation and what impact it might have down the road.”
The fire hose is still a fire hose, but after the freshman year blues, it’s not quite so intimidating.
Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.
