Dear Members and Supporters, we must send a message to our Governor to take action NOW, please sign and take action today!

Idaho’s People’s Platform for Social and Economic Survival and Beyond

COVID-19 is exposing, in no uncertain terms, the social, economic, and political crisis our communities have been bearing for decades and more. Working and poor people, Black people, people of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, elderly people, youth and students, parents, migrants and refugees, incarcerated people, and women are no strangers to a broken economic and political system which provides security for an elite few by sidelining the wellbeing and dignity of the majority. We have known for a long time now that we are dealing with a gutted and crumbling public infrastructure that has little to no capacity to truly ensure that the most vulnerable and marginalized among us can survive this kind of crisis. More and more we see that those who are seated in power to represent our interests act in the opposite of those interests. Those in power are unreasonably against some of the most basic tenets of human need and human life: housing, healthcare, safety, education, jobs, and more.

While this reality is distressing, our communities are also no strangers to organizing ourselves and our loved ones in moments of uncertainty with a real commitment that none of us get left behind. This is yet again another blow for vulnerable communities hit the hardest by generations of policy that have left us struggling.

The same communities that will be hit the hardest by this crisis are the same communities still struggle under “normal” circumstances. Today, we are relying on each other in deeper ways and we are organizing to pressure the institutions and political leaders that have power over our lives to use that power in accordance with what we know our communities truly need.

As such, as a broad coalition directly of impacted people, constituencies, and organizations, we call on the Governor and the Idaho General Assembly to act in service of communities across Idaho.

The demands we have constructed are by no means comprehensive, but they do lay out the critical needs for our communities in this moment of crisis and reflect not only our fundamental values but the fundamental necessities of a functioning democracy:

•Healthcare is a human right and no person should be denied care and treatment

•Housing is a human right and no person should be homeless, live in fear of eviction or displacement

•All of our families matter; parents and caregivers must be supported regardless of family size, citizenship status, gender, ability, and sexual orientation

•From domestic, city, and healthcare workers to retail and service workers, contractors, and educators: All workers deserve livable wages, benefits, safety, dignity and protection

•ICE does not keep our communities safe or resolve a broken immigration system; migrants and refugees have the right to live free from fear;

•No human should live in a cage and prisons are not the answer to the challenges facing our society

•Democracy must work not just for corporations and the elite few who can pay to have their profit-driven agendas prioritized, but for all of us.
Idaho has available dollars if our priorities are in people. The Governor requested an increase that would increase the budget to $600 Million dollars. This is the time to use this money for vital services, pass a comprehensive budget, and enact a more equitable and fair revenue structure. The time is now to use this money to mitigate the harm facing Idahoans during this pandemic. We urge our Governor to act as soon as possible on the following demands in accordance with the values we have named above:

1) Fully Fund Expansion of Medicaid and Protect Our Hospitals: Fully funded Medicaid Expansion without impediments to access. During a public health crisis, it’s more important than ever that every Idahoans across the state have access to care. The State should act immediately to ensure that everyone has access to free and widespread testing without their information being shared with local or federal law enforcement, including ICE, in addition to health insurance and access to care regardless of their pre-existing conditions, immigration status, employment status, or sexuality. Idaho should also look at emergency appropriations to support our weakened public health infrastructure, particularly investing in rural hospitals.

2) Protect Immigrants: Idaho leaders should instruct Department of Public Safety employees to cease notifying ICE agents of upcoming probation appointments by immigrants; immigrants that have been taken into custody with the active participation of HSI employees. Where people are detained in ICE custody ensure all facilities are prioritizing the health and well-being of people detained, including; a provision for quarantining anyone who tests positive for the virus at a hospital, not at a prison or jail.

3) Protect Incarcerated People: According to public health experts, incarcerated individuals “are at special risk of infection, given their living situations,” and “may also be less able to participate in proactive measures to keep themselves safe;” “infection control is challenging in these settings.” Idaho should use compassionate release to free Idahoans incarcerated in prisons and jails who are non-violent offenders and are also particularly vulnerable to the Coronavirus, including people over age 65, pregnant women, people with serious illnesses, and those with compromised immune systems. Idaho should also end cash bail and suspend pretrial confinement since it creates the ideal environment for the transmission of contagious disease.
Moreover, Idaho must provide access to high-quality, comprehensive healthcare services for incarcerated people, including testing for Coronavirus, eliminate co-pays for medical care; and make all phone calls, video calls, and other communication free and more accessible if visits are temporarily halted.

4) Moratorium on All Evictions, Foreclosures and Utility Shut-offs: Use the power of the Governor’s office and state legislature to suspend home evictions and foreclosures statewide until at least December 31, 2020, so not a single additional Idahoan is placed at risk without a home during the duration of this pandemic. The moratorium on evictions must be applied to housing in both the public and private sector; with a special emphasis on the role private developers must play in curbing eviction and displacement rates. During this moratorium, courts must be instructed to not accept any new eviction filings. Utility companies must be directed to enact a moratorium on utility shut-offs for non-payment. Furthermore, we want the state legislature to stop any evictions of unhoused encampments that put people at risk while seeking the immediate expropriations of all vacant units to be used for housing the unhoused in Idaho.

5) Ensure Paid Sick Days and Family Medical Leave. Fix our Broken Unemployment System: Ensure job-protected paid sick days and family medical leave for all workers, including part-time and seasonal workers and independent contractors, and regardless of immigration status, for the duration of a quarantine and full recovery period to make sure no sick worker is leaving their home. Our state’s unemployment insurance system is among the very worst in the nation in terms of access rates and benefit levels. Allow eligibility for quarantine and isolation for unemployment insurance, streamline the process for applying, and remove any requirements to seek work in order to access unemployment benefits. Lift the cap and extend the eligibility timeline to the federal maximum of 26 weeks or longer if required to weather this crisis.

6) Put the Health and Welfare of Working Families and Communities Ahead of Corporate Handouts: We call on the Idaho’s Governor to make it unlawful to discharge or discipline a worker for complying with an order of quarantine or isolation, and to provide job-protected emergency paid sick days and paid medical leave. The paid leave provisions of the coronavirus response legislation that recently passed the US House include an exemption for the country’s biggest corporations. That means that many working on the frontlines of the service industry in retail, restaurants, fast food -- will not be afforded access to emergency paid sick days or medical leave. We are calling on the Idaho’s Governor to require all Idaho employers with over 150 employees to (1) pay employees at least 14 days of paid sick leave, including leave to recover, provide care for a sick family member, or care for children whose daycares and schools have shut down; and (2) provide increased safety protections to frontline employees.

7) Tax Rich Corporations: What we don’t need right now is tax cuts for the rich. Idaho leaders should raise revenue by increasing the corporate tax to 5%. This would generate an additional $250 million needed for necessary services and wage replacement.

8) Protect our Democracy and Extend the Census: The state should implement contingency measures to ensure Idahoans can fully participate in this fall's general election. This includes the elimination of restrictions on mail absentee voting, preparation for potential large-scale mail absentee voting, expanded efforts to recruit poll workers, and additional resources for state and county election officials tasked with implementation. In the absence of public events and open government offices, the state should move towards automatic voter registration, in addition to moving swiftly to allow voters to register to vote online— a process already provided for in 39 other states and the District of Columbia. State government should also support accommodations to ensure full participation in the Census.

9) Freedom from Hunger: As workers' hours get cut back and tipped workers’ wages plummet, hunger will become an even larger problem for poor and working people—especially children. Many low income families depend on free school lunches to help meet children's nutritional needs. While public schools are closed, food distribution centers should be set up in school districts to provide free, nutritious food for anyone who needs it. Food delivery should be available for families in isolation.

10) Access to Government: All government entities need to accept remote signatures and attestations, and remote appearances — for court cases, hearings, social service agency government contracts, and more. Elected officials should also make themselves available to the public through digital platforms, including Facebook live and tele-town halls.