BOISE, Idaho - As the Biden administration pushes to raise the minimum wage as part of novel coronavirus relief legislation, a bill in the Idaho Legislature also seeks to raise wages.

State Senator Grant Burgoyne - D-Boise - has introduced Senate Bill 1028, which would raise the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour by July 2023 - two years before the proposed federal legislation.

Burgoyne said many Idahoans are struggling to afford food, health care, and housing.

"The safety net has holes in it," said Burgoyne. "And the safety net does not do an adequate job of allowing someone to make a living that can support a family."

Opponents of the bill say it would hurt small businesses, leading them to cut jobs and passing the cost of the increased wage onto consumers.

Twenty-nine states have minimum wages above the federal minimum of $7.25.

Burgoyne's legislation eliminates the so-called "training wage" - a lower hourly rate often paid to students and young people. He said postsecondary education is too expensive to justify this.

He also noted that many companies have done well during the COVID-19 crisis.

"Where we see the very wealthy captains of industry having doubled and tripled their wealth through this pandemic," said Burgoyne, "it seems fair that we should bring along those who struggle in lower-paying jobs as well."

The bill still includes lower pay for tipped workers, but would increase their wages from $3.35 to $7.50 by 2023.

Burgoyne said the Legislature could provide a solution for businesses that show they'd be negatively affected by raising the minimum wage. He proposed giving them a tax credit to offset the cost.

"By giving that credit, those businesses would be held harmless," said Burgoyne. "But the workers would be in a position to be able to be able to make more money."

Burgoyne's bill currently is in the Senate Committee on State Affairs. He said he's hopeful it will gain traction if Congress moves to increase the minimum wage at the federal level.


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Parents and educators in the Houston Independent School District said they are all for improving schools but do not believe a state takeover by an unelected board of managers will boost test scores.

The Texas Education Agency said the takeover of the state's largest school district is necessary because schools have failed to meet state standards.

Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, called it a hostile move opposed by many Houston elected officials, local education advocates and parents. She cited a poll by New Economy for Working Houston showing two-thirds of Harris County voters oppose the takeover.

"These schools are underperforming because for years, the district has not given them what they need," Anderson contended. "We believe that all of this is a way to fund the charter schools, but defund public schools."

In 2015, Texas passed a law allowing the state to take over an entire school district if even one campus is rated "F" in standardized test performance within five years.

This week, the Texas Education Agency named former Dallas schools superintendent Mike Miles to be superintendent in Houston. Miles arrived from leadership posts in Colorado, where he founded a public network of charter schools.

The Houston school district had fought the state takeover since 2019, but a GOP-controlled state Supreme Court cleared the state's legal path in January, despite a "B" grade the district received in the most recent state school ratings.

Audrey Nath, a parent in the Houston Independent School District, said her son just completed Kindergarten and had an exceptional year.

"I am left to surmise that the true intent is part of a larger push for dismantling of public education," Nath asserted. "Because not a single reason that was stated officially made any sense."

There are 276 schools within the Houston school district, with nearly 197,000 students. The district's minority enrollment is 90%, and nearly 60% of students are economically disadvantaged.


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As hostility toward Jewish people continues to spike in Arizona and nationally, the Biden administration has issued a National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.

Research by the Anti-Defamation League shows antisemitic beliefs are on the increase. Last year, 85% of Americans said they believe at least one anti-Jewish trope, compared to 61% in 2019.

Richard S. Hirschhaut, regional director of the American Jewish Committee-Los Angeles, said his group has noticed an increase in vandalism, harassment and assault. He called Biden's plan "unprecedented" and "historic."

"This is a strategy that not only recognizes the rise and the severity of antisemitism, but treats it as a full-on society problem," Hirschhaut explained. "Recognizing that antisemitism must be the concern and the business of all Americans."

The 60-page plan is a product of collaborative work by national leaders and Jewish organizations. It includes more than 100 new actions the Biden administration said it will take to protect Jewish communities across the nation.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, American Jews account for 2.4% of the U.S. population, but see 63% of the reported hate crimes motivated by religion.

Hirschhaut stressed it is important to highlight the numbers are often lower than actual incidents. He added the proactive vigilance and upgraded security protocols are needed.

"That speaks to a climate of fear and intimidation that has become commonplace in America," Hirschhaut asserted. "And that is what we hope this plan, the national strategy, will help to arrest and begin to turn the tide."

Antisemitism is what he called "gateway hate." Hirschhaut emphasized if left unchecked, it can lead to other groups and sectors of society also experiencing hostility and prejudice.


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A piece of legislation is headed to Gov. Joe Lombardo's desk which would allow medical aid in dying in Nevada.

Last week, Senate Bill 239 made its way out of the state assembly on a 23-19 vote, which could give terminally ill adults the option to request a medical prescription for a peaceful death in the Silver State.

Sara Manns, Nevada campaign director for the Compassion & Choices Action Network, said she is thankful to Sen. Edgar Flores, D-Las Vegas, "for shepherding it through" what she called a "challenging legislative obstacle course."

Manns added the support for the law is "overwhelming," and according to a new poll by the group, 82% of Nevadans support medical-aid-in-dying legislation.

"Regardless of political affiliation, regardless of religion, regardless of rural, urban," Manns outlined. "This is something where once people know what it is, they would want to have it available to them. Would they all want to do it? Of course not."

Manns emphasized it has taken the Nevada End of Life Options Act eight years since its initial introduction in 2015 to get to this point. She noted her group, like many, is hopeful the governor will sign the bill. She added once the bill reaches his desk, he will have 10 days to sign it.

Lynda Brooks-Bracey, 57, a Las Vegas mother of four with terminal metastatic pancreatic cancer, said she was "excited" and feeling "anticipatory" when she found the bill had made it past the second house.

Brooks-Bracey learned she was terminally ill in February 2021. During her last months of life, she has made it her mission to be an advocate for the measure. Brooks-Bracey stressed she and her family feel hopeful Lombardo will approach the bill in a neutral manner and pay attention to what Nevadans want.

"It has taken time to get the right bill, at the right time, that's clean, in front of this new governor here in Nevada that we have elected," Brooks-Bracey recalled. "And that he is neutral, that he is considering it, that he's looking at it. I think all things have come together in an appropriate time frame that Nevadans want it. They're ready for it."

Eleven jurisdictions have authorized medical aid in dying including 10 states and the District of Columbia. Compassion & Choices said no governor has ever vetoed a medical-aid-in-dying bill in any of the six states passing laws via legislative action.