Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, welcomed her new colleague, Jim Rice of Caldwell, Friday with an apology: The first bill that the new senator would vote on was one that would terminate the state’s end-stage renal disease program. “It’s not fair” that Rice’s first vote would be one that could eliminate a government program, said Broadsword. Broadsword’s apology is puzzling. The state’s renal disease program is notorious. The Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations said the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation had poorly managed the program, that more than $116,000 had been paid out to ineligible program participants. Another $49,000 went out to a dozen participants who were also enrolled in Medicaid. The Legislature’s review of the agency found that program runs inconsistently among its staff and regions. However, congrats to Broadsword for sponsoring a bill that eliminates a government program that is so badly managed. Her bill passed unanimously/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.

Question: Do you consider most government programs to be extremely wasteful?

The Idaho Senate voted this morning to approve a measure which would ban texting while driving in Idaho. The vote was 29 to 6, with no votes coming from Meridian Sens. Russ Fulcher and Shirley McKague, Caldwell Sen. Curt McKenzie, Cottonwood Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, New Plymouth Sen. Monty Pearce and Dalton Gardens Sen. Steve Vick, all Republicans. … Sagle Sen. Joyce Broadsword, (who voted “yes”) said she had texted while behind the wheel. “I found myself weaving and not being in my lane of traffic,” said Broadsword. “We have to make sure that we're protecting citizens from their own stupidity”/George Prentice, Boise Weekly. More here.

Question: Who's to protect the people from the Legislature's stupidity?

Deeply personal stories preceded a unanimous Senate vote to support a statewide plan meant to help Idaho's increasing population of people suffering from deadly Alzheimer's disease. Sen. Joyce Broadsword of Sagle on Monday spoke of the painful decline of her grandmother, who ended her days unable to remember loved ones surrounding her — or details from the rich life she'd lived. Creating a statewide plan, according to its Senate sponsors, would boost community awareness and help nurture a comprehensive approach toward educating the public about the United States' sixth-leading cause of death/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: Has your family been affected by Alzheimers?

Retiring District 2 Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, plans to run for a seat on the Bonner County Commission, Idaho News Service has learned. Sen. Broadsword, a fourth-term Idaho lawmaker who currently represents Benewah, Shoshone and portions of Bonner and Kootenai counties, said she expects to make an official announcement for the District 1 Bonner County Commission seat sometime this week. Sen. Broadsword said in an e-mail that she expects to officially file with the state to run for the position on the Bonner County Commission late in the Idaho secretary of state’s public office filing process n which runs from Feb. 27 until the 5 p.m. March 9 deadline/David Goins, St. Maries Gazette Record. More here.

Question: Is this a good decision by Joyce Broadsword to abandon her state Senate seat for a run for Bonner County commission?

Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, says she's weighing her options, now that the new legislative redistricting plan shifts her into a different district, where she wouldn't have to face ally Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, if she ran for another term. “I haven't had a chance to look at what the size of the district is or what it looks like,” Broadsword said. “I have to look at all my options. I've been receiving a lot of encouragement to stay, to please run for the Senate again … so I just have to look at the whole picture.” Under the new plan, L-93, Broadsword ends up in the new District 7, along with first-term incumbent Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood. The previous district plan, L-87, put both Broadsword and Keough in District 1/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

• Also: Unhappy Twin Falls considers another suit to try to block redistricting again/Melissa Davlin, TFTN

Question: Should Joyce Broadsword run for re-election in the new far-flung District 7? Or is she too far away from the center of the new district to serve it effectively?

With the ink barely dry on Idaho's redistricting maps, one senator has announced she's leaving following the 2012 session: Joyce Broadsword of Sagle. The four-term Republican was pushed into a district where Broadsword would have faced Republican Sen. Shawn Keough in next May's primary if she'd campaigned again. Broadsword resignation clears the way for Keough to run without opposition from a GOP incumbent. Broadsword had represented voters in District 2, covering Bonner, Kootenai, Benewah and Shoshone counties. With the 2011 redistricting maps that were drawn last Friday, however, Broadsword's home now falls into District 1, reflecting population changes on Idaho's northern panhandle/AP. More here.

Surprised?

Item: Bonner County GOP CC debates no confidence vote vs. Keough, Broadsword/Cameron Rasmusson, Bonner County Bee

More Info: Keough countered that while it wasn’t her or Broadsword’s intent to put Kootenai County Republican incumbents against each other, tough choices will need to be made. “We are in the reddest of the red states,” she said. “No matter how that map is drawn, there will be Republican incumbents against each other.”  She also defended the choice to issue a press release, saying that other legislators have expressed opinions through columns and other media expressions. Keough said the press release was an efficient way to communicate the work she and Broadsword had been doing.

Question: How badly has this new confidence vote politically hurt Sens. Keough and Broadsword?

Saying their actions were detrimental to the party, the Region 1 Republican Central Committee approved a “no confidence” vote last week against Sens. Shawn Keough of Sandpoint (left) and Joyce Broadsword (right) of Sagle. “As elected state officials, your actions have demonstrated that you do not understand, care about, or are acting in a manner that is consistent in the best interests of your constituents,” Region 1 RCC Chairman John Cross said in the letter of censure. “Instead, (you) have used your political positions to further personal agendas and promote the best interests of the opposing political party in direct opposition to the Republican ideals we hold dearly.” The region encompasses the five northern counties - Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone. While it has no legal effect, the vote sends the message that party officials are unhappy with the pair's actions/Caroline Lobsinger, Hagadone News Network. More here.

• You can read the letter sent to Sen. Keough here.
• You can read minutes of Feb. 5, 2011, meeting in which a letter in support of Rep Hart will be sent to House Speaker Lawerence Denney here.

Question: Can you believe that Region 1 Republicans would castigate Sens. Shawn Keough & Joyce Broadsword while sending a letter of support to House Speaker Lawerence Denney for Rep. Phil Hart?

North Idaho Sens. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint (left), and Joyce Broadsword (right), R-Sagle, have submitted a proposed redistricting plan for North Idaho that they say addresses concerns they've heard from their constituents, particularly about the current oddly-shaped District 2; you can see the plan here. Addressing only the North Idaho Panhandle, it does away with the backward-C-shaped District 2 in favor of a more compact District 2 that combines southern Bonner County with northern Kootenai County, including the Athol area. A new District 3 would take in the Post Falls area, and a new District 4 the Coeur d'Alene area. a new District 5 would include all of Benewah and Shoshone counties, the southern portion of Kootenai County including the Coeur d'Alene Reservation, and most of Latah County except for the Moscow area/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: The redistricting plan offered by Sens. Shawn Keough & Joyce Broadsword makes sense. Does it have a chance?

Among the revelations from the hearings so far: North Idaho's District 2 is likely to be completely realigned, and that could mean that District 2 Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, right, ends up in District 1 - along with District 1 Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, left. Even Broadsword told the commission the district has to change. “It isn't about seated legislators. It's about what's best for the citizens who live in those districts, what's easiest for them to be able to get to the polls and participate in the system,” she said at the hearing in Sandpoint. “That's just the reality,” Frasure said. “I think all of us are committed to do the right thing. … She testified against her own legislative district”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: Which two incumbent GOP legislators from North Idaho would you like to see forced to run against each other in a primary race? Why?

Steve Vick, the ultraconservative freshman state senator from District 3 was one of four Idaho senators statewide who scored a perfect 100% on Adam Graham's annual conservative scorecard. Vick voted as Adam deemed appropriate on 16 different issues during the Idaho Legislature. John Goedde of Coeur d'Alene and Jim Hammond of Post Falls agreed agreed with Adam 14 of 16 times to score 88% in the annual ratings for North Idaho senators. Bringing up the rear were Shawn Keough of Sandpoint, 63%, and Joyce Broadsword of Sagle, 40%. You can see all the rankings here.

• See conservative rankings for state representatives here.

Question: Are you surprised by any of the conservative rankings of the 5 North Idaho senators?

Three North Idaho lawmakers who joined Gov. Butch Otter for a press conference today on state revenues also expressed concerns about the GOP platform loyalty oath, as did the governor. Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, said, “I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of Idaho and the Constitution of the United States. My loyalty is to the people that elected me, and I have no desire to sign anything for anyone.” Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said she wasn’t at the convention and hasn’t had a chance to study the new platform. “It’s still not cl’ear to me just exactly what’s in there,” she said/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here

Question: Do you want to know how your three district representatives stand on the Idaho Republicans’ loyalty oath?

I use the RINO label sparingly as I thin many people have overused it. With the recent defeats of Senators Schroeder and Coiner, the RINO herd has been culled. I don’t want to use the label as a mindless insult, so I have a fair standard. If you’ve got an Idaho Conservative score of less than 60%, you’re a RINO. If you vote with us more than that, you could weak-kneed, lilly-livered, unimaginatives or any number of things, but I wouldn’t call you a RINO. Here’s my list:Rep. Tom Trail (R-6)-37% conservative voting record.Senator Joyce Broadsword (R-2)-56% conservative voting record/Adam Graham, Adam’s Blog. And: Outrageous outrage of the day: Loyalty oaths. 

• Rep. Tom Trail (R-6)-37% conservative voting record.
• Senator Joyce Broadsword (R-2)-56% conservative voting record.
• Senator Joe Stegner (R-7)-31% conservative voting record.
• Senator John Andreason (R-15)-46% conservative voting record.
• Senator Tim Corder (R-22)-55% conservative voting record.

Question: With loyalty oaths, RINO lists, and party purity paramount, can Idaho Republicans say that they have a big tent?

The 5 North Idaho incumbent state senators have raised tens of thousands of dollars in their bids to capture the GOP nomination and win re-election:

• Shawn Keough/District 1 has raised $30,121 total, spent $5242, and has $24,879, in her primary race with Steve Tanner, who reports raising or spending anything. Keough report.
• Joyce Broadsword/District 2 has raised $25,620 (report here) in her 3-way race w/Dennis Englehardt, who has raised $11,367 (report here) and James Stivers, who has raised $3,766 (report here)
• Mike Jorgenson/District 3 has loaned himself most of the $25,661 he has for his campaign (report here) with Steve Vick, who has raised a total of $7,596 (report here).
• John Goedde/District 4 has $12,098 (report here) in his 3-way race w/Independent Jeremy Boggess, who has raised $376 (report here), and Constitutionalist Raymond I. Writz, who has raised $210 (report here).
• Jim Hammond/District 5 has raised $43,945 total (report here) in his 3-way GOPrimary race against John Green, who has raised $1,500 (report here), and Jack Schroeder, who has raised anything but has spent $2,958 (report here).

A bill to eliminate the Idaho Women’s Commission was introduced by a Senate committee Monday, but the measure faces stiff opposition. Sen. Joyce Broadsword said the commission — founded by Gov. Bob Smylie in 1965 by executive order and established by law by the 1970 Legislature — is out of date in a world where women are fully integrated into society, the economy and politics. “In my opinion, that goal has been reached,” said Broadsword, R-Sagle. “Women have taken their place. While (the commission) may have been important in decades past, they are now duplicative of other services.” Broadsword told the Senate State Affairs Committee that Gov. Butch Otter supports her bill and that Otter’s staff asked for her help in eliminating the 10-member commission/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Do you agree with state Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, that the Idaho Women’s Commission is outdated and should be eliminated?