Idaho is one of only 2 states that has no disclosure requirements for elected officials. This reform would require elected officials to disclose their sources of personal income. This is the most basic transparency measure that helps avoid conflicts of interest among elected officials. This reform would require elected officials in Idaho to disclose the employer and job title for themselves and their spouse, any source of income of more than $5,000. Disclosing this information will fill a gaping hole that has persisted in Idaho's ethics laws for far too long.
The issue: Under federal law, Medicaid does not cover abortions. And, Idaho does not allow state money to pay for abortions. Idaho has no clinics solely dedicated to abortions, but it does have Planned Parenthood offices that provide abortions among a range of female health care services, largely routine. Conservatives in Idaho and nationally have long sought to end public money to Planned Parenthood because of its abortion services.
Ahlquist: "Tax dollars should not go to Planned Parenthood or clinics that are providing abortions. There are great clinics and amazing services that provide low-income female reproductive health care that don't also participate in abortions."
The issue: US Circuit Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court rulings legalized gay marriage in Idaho months before the Supreme Court did the same nationally in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Ahlquist: "I believe that marriage should be the union of a man and a woman. As our governor, I will support policies that promote and safeguard the traditional institution of marriage. I strongly disagree with the Supreme Court decision on this issue. If something changes that allows a viable legal option to challenge the Supreme Court's decision, I will pursue that. I will not, however, waste taxpayer dollars pursuing frivolous lawsuits that have no chance of success."
What you should know: Ahlquist's website in early 2017 included a pledge to "fight to protect Idaho's right to define marriage within our state." He removed that wording last summer after questions about how he would pursue it.
The issue: Across the country, some businesses, doctors and other service providers have been sued for refusing to provide services to gay people, women seeking birth control and others because it goes against their religious beliefs. And there's been the reverse: In 2016, when same-sex marriage became legal in Idaho, a Coeur d'Alene church challenged the city's anti-discrimination ordinance in federal court, fearing officials would come after it for not performing same-sex marriages. The city said the church is exempt from the ordinance.
Ahlquist: "As a former lay minister in my faith, I understand and have witnessed firsthand the assault across the nation on people of all faiths. As governor, I'll do everything I can to protect religious freedom."
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The above quotations are from 2018 Idaho Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage.
Click here for other excerpts from 2018 Idaho Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Tommy Ahlquist. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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