Well, we finally finished the 2007 legislative session on Friday evening. It is one I will remember for many reasons.

1. Because of what we accomplished:
- Stopped the exploitation of children for the purposes of marketing and gaming for the Idaho Lottery Commission. This is something I have worked on for three years. The new Lottery Commission director was very cooperative and immediately agreed to stop this practice when we held up the appropriation for the agency.
- Eliminated smoking from bowling alleys. Hooray! Thank you, everyone, for your hard work on that issue. Sometimes the good guys win.
- Stopped "robo calls" that do not identify who they are representing.
- Cut back the Capitol wings project to a more manageable and less expensive renovation.
- Provided money for "promise" scholarships for low-income youth attending colleges and universities.

2. Because of what I supported but the Legislature failed to provide:
- A meaningful increase to Idaho's minimum wage earners.
- Safety standards for child-care providers.
- Local option taxes for public transportation in the Treasure Valley.
- Vote-by-mail for Idaho citizens, although it was overwhelmingly supported by the public, Secretary of State, county clerks and House of Representatives.
- Prohibition of the unethical practice of allowing people to shoot domestic elk in a fenced enclosure.
- Honest disclosure of business interests by mail.
- Adequate protection of Idaho's clean air and water.
- Reduction of the food tax.
- Permission for citizens outside a 1-mile zone to testify regarding Contained Animal Feeding Outfits.
- Early childhood education.
- A cohesive Treasure Valley Legislative Caucus. Somehow we could not get some of the people outside Boise to look at themselves as urban legislators, much to the disservice of Treasure Valley residents.

3. Because of what we should have done:
- Focused on getting good public policy forward. Like most of the legislators, I came to the session ready to work hard for Idaho families and found instead a power match going on within the other party, diverting needless time from the people's business. It was exhausting and disheartening to find an internal war being fought on the floor of the House of Representatives, but there it was.

My biggest disappointment of the session was the acrimony and retaliatory tactics used by the majority party toward its own members who didn't fall into line and vote they way they were instructed. This caused the most toxic work environment I have ever witnessed in my almost 25 years of experience in organization development and human resources.

I am certain you saw the stories in the Idaho Statesman regarding Reps. Bob Ring of Caldwell and Leon Smith from Twin Falls. Both Republicans slammed their leadership for its heavy handedness. Both are outstanding legislators, and it took a lot of courage to step up and say what needed to be said.

Courage is what is going to be required of us this upcoming session, which could be more of the same. We need to have citizens stand up and say "ENOUGH" with the silliness and get on with the business of the people. Remember, these are your tax dollars at work. Do you want us to be sitting around for two full days while 4-6 men sit in a room deciding, for example, the future of our transportation infrastructure for the entire state of Idaho without any technical assistance? I doubt it.

It is such a pleasure to serve all of you and I thank you for electing me and for letting me know what your opinions are. I have done my best to represent your views, although some constituents don't always agree. Thank you for participating in the process by contacting me. I trust you will continue to do that over the summer and fall.