Voter Guide: Jim Guthrie (R)

Party:
Republican

• Website: guthrieforidaho.com 
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Q: Tell us about your background, including your education, career experience, public service, and any previous political involvement. What experiences have best prepared you to serve in the Legislature?

I was born in Pocatello and have lived in the Marsh Valley area within a 15-mile radius my entire life. I have two sons, one daughter, ten grandchildren, and one great grandson, all of whom I am extremely proud of. I was raised on a farm and still farm and ranch in the Marsh Valley area where I raise beef cattle and hay. I am fortunate to have great parents who taught me the value of hard work that has served me well throughout my life.
While building up my farm and ranch operation, I worked for many years in construction and heavy industry. I worked for several years as a union journeyman carpenter and for over a decade at Ash Grove Cement in Inkom. I have been in the Idaho Senate for fourteen years and prior to that served two years in the House of Representatives, six years as a Bannock County Commissioner, and six years on the Marsh Valley school board. I have spent time as a youth coach and served on numerous boards including the Portneuf Medical Center board of trustees.

Q: If elected, what would be your highest legislative priority, and what specific policies or actions would you pursue to address it?

Returning the primary election process to include the presidential primary and down ticket primary races on the same date. Having a separate caucus for president resulted in a dismal sub-seven percent turnout and estranges many voters including some military and non-mobile seniors. I have passed this legislation twice in the senate only to have the house unwilling to hear it. Hopefully this will be the year. I will also continue my efforts to limit the length of the legislative session and the number of bills an individual legislator can bring. We are a part-time citizen legislature and it's important we respect that directive.

Q: Many families are concerned about rising costs of fuel, housing, groceries, health care, and other essentials. What role should government play in addressing inflation and improving economic opportunities, and what specific steps would you support?

The issues I hear most about are inflation, coping with growth, property taxes, and concerns about education and water. Certainly, there are many other issues. For many years the political battle cry has been we need to bring more jobs and people to Idaho. We offer huge tax incentives for business and industry to come here. In my opinion that is a narrative that needs recrafted. Let’s not sell Idaho short by giving away the farm at the risk of losing our farms.
At the state level we have appropriated money to help mitigate ever increasing property taxes, but they remain an issue. In my opinion we have placed too much focus on cutting income tax rates and instead should have placed more importance on the property tax dilemma. Our children and even many middle-aged citizens cannot afford housing and single-family dwellings are giving way to apartment complexes. Incentives for affordable housing development may help soften that sticker shock. The growth cycle we are in has put incredible pressure on Idaho’s water, education systems and every aspect of our infrastructure. We need to get back to a more methodical growth trajectory and make sure those coming in pay their fair share. In time this will help stabilize prices but there is no silver bullet.

Q: Immigration remains a major issue at both the state and federal levels. What is your position on immigration policy, and what role, if any, should state government play in addressing immigration-related concerns?

For starters, immigration policy is a responsibility of the federal government. In my opinion it is a responsibility that they have failed miserably at. They have pushed this can down the road for decades and now we find lawmakers at the state level proposing radical policy that will only cause harm to Idaho businesses, employers, and agriculture. Problematic policy will result in legal battles costing us money as we fight court unnecessary court battles. I will propose we pass E-Verify legislation that will be a trigger bill which will be effective once the federal government does their job.

Q: Access, affordability, and workforce shortages continue to challenge the health care system. What do you see as the biggest health care issues facing residents, and what solutions would you advocate for?

For those Idahoans who don't have employer sponsored health care the pressure on their pocketbooks is a real concern. They are either not addressing other needs or going without coverage and risking the consequences. In another question I addressed the need to better fund Medicaid services and that will help some. Idaho also received from the federal government a grant of almost one billion dollars to be appropriated over the next five years that is intended to address the needs of rural health care facilities. This will also help. Anything we can do to encourage or incentivize employers to offer group health care plans would considering.

Q: As lawmakers consider state budget priorities, what level of funding do you believe public schools should receive? What factors shape your position, and what outcomes would you hope to achieve?

We hear all too often that education is always wanting more funding. As we consider those requests we should keep in mind, we are near the bottom nationally in funding per pupil. That said, Idaho schools do an excellent job with the funds given to them, but we can ill afford to ignore the importance of education. In addition, I opposed the legislation that earmarked 50 million towards tax credit for private schools and will oppose any efforts to increase funds to that end.
Failing is not an option because by educating those who in the future will be our next political and industry leaders, will drive our economy, help feed our nation, invent the next big thing, and care for our medical needs. Through education we create the best chance for continuing generational success.
Besides keeping our financial commitment to K-12, higher ed, career technical education and specialized training another area needs additional attention. Special needs students require in some cases the expenditure of district resources far more than any reimbursement they receive. We must develop a different funding model to mitigate that disparity. Because of the holdbacks the Governor issued by executive order in July last year and the subsequent cuts for the FY 2027 budget, we are at a moment where we need to recalibrate our entire revenue, expenditure, and budget processes prior to future reductions, especially for education.

Q: Looking at the most recent legislative session, what do you think lawmakers got right, what did they get wrong, and what changes would you advocate if elected?

We hear time and again from politicians all the wonderful things they are doing as they lobby for your vote. And last year we did do some positive things. We continue to work on sensible water policy in an effort to make the best use of this dwindling resource. We passed legislation that requires large load customers requiring more than 50 megawatts of electricity to pay for related infrastructure and generation in order to protect other rate payers. Policy further protecting the integrity of our elections was also passed. Preemptive legislation as we consider the potential impacts of artificial intelligence was passed and more will likely come, and there were many other examples.
Tax cuts have value when justified but we have cut income tax rates to the point that last year we did cuts across the board in a strong economy. These efforts have short term appeal but put us at risk for long term problems. We have some work to do to return to budgeting and policy making that has real benefit to working Idahoans. We must move away from what has become an obsession with social issues that make for a good headline but do little to address the important issues most Idahoans care about.

Q: What is one issue that has not received enough attention during this campaign, and why do you believe voters should care about it?

Funding for Medicaid related services has been cut dramatically more than cuts levied against other agencies. Providers are experiencing increasing difficulty providing for the needs of the elderly, disabled, and those requiring significant or constant care from skilled staff due to low reimbursement levels. Many are in danger of closing their businesses and if we lose this important service the needed care will default to a much more costly treatment model. In addition, for every state dollar we cut we lose two dollars of federal match. Dollars that came from the federal taxes you pay! The funding blueprint for these services must be reevaluated and changed.