What sounds like a common sense bill to the rest of us, one that would have put vending machines in schools was defeated by the Republican-controlled Legislature, despite being sponsored by Republicans Lori McCann and Rod Furniss. (Apparently they’re both RINO now.) The Idaho House of Representatives has virtually no Democrats and is split 59R-11D. The bill died, on a 35-35 tied vote.
Source: Hastings Tribune
BOISE, Idaho — Republicans in the Idaho House on Monday defeated a bill that would have funded free menstrual products in public school girls’ bathrooms. GOP House members said the proposal was “liberal” and objected to “woke” terms describing the inaccessibility of tampons and pads.
House Bill 313, sponsored by Representatives Lori McCann, R-Lewiston and Rod Furniss, R-Rigby, would have funded dispensers of free menstrual products in public school girls’ bathrooms for students in grades six through 12 .
The estimated price was $435,000 in one-time general state funds to install dispensers and $300,400 per year to store them, according to the tax bill for the legislation. It’s about $3.50 per student. State budget analysts predict Idaho will have a $1.4 billion tax revenue surplus at the end of the fiscal year.
So what did Republicans find so objectionable? Naturally, they sent some female members to reject the idea, because, well, that’s what they’re here for.
Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, called it “very liberal politics.” “Why are our schools obsessed with our children’s private parts? ” she says. Representative Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, objected to the terms “menstrual poverty” and “menstrual fairness” which were used to describe inaccessibility to menstrual products. “Those are woke terms,” Ehardt said.
And if you’re not sure, the tweet below is satire.
