Disabled community demands safe legislative session
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK)-The Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities and 30 supporting groups are voicing concern about the safety and health of the upcoming legislative session and conditions that could threaten their constitutional rights.
Concerned about what it called the dangerous environment created by “gun-toting anti-government militia groups” during the August special session, the Council is worried that participating in the 2021 regular session could put their lives in jeopardy.
“We have no reason to believe that we won’t see a repeat of the Special Session that took place this summer in the upcoming general session,” said Council Executive Director Christine Pisani.
The groups also voiced concern about the spread of COVID-19, since many lawmakers failed to follow basic Central Health District protocols like face coverings, social distancing, and limiting group sizes to 10 or fewer people.
In a letter to Governor Brad Little, House Speaker Scott Bedke, and Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder, and other state officials, the Council called for an explanation of what measures will be in place to create a safe environment in the statehouse.
“Anti-mask and anti-social distancing activism in the Capitol Building, including the kind we saw in Idaho during the August 2020 Special Legislative Session, is not a simple political statement or contest for political influence. It is a life-threatening activity for those people with developmental disabilities who need a Covid-19 safe atmosphere to have their voice heard during the public policy decision making process,” said Pisani.
“People with developmental disabilities are twice as likely to contract Covid-19 and five times more likely to die from it than the overall population,” she said, citing a Syracuse University study.
The groups are calling on legislators to assure that people can appear before the legislature without fear of intimidation, that critical health orders are observed, and that people with disabilities are secured in a safe and respectful way.
You can read the complete 11-page letter here.
