The Gem State Brief

Curated by Locus Lectorum

The fight for life continues

Washington, D.C. | March 10 | Gem State Patriot

Governor Little signed House Bill 93 on February 27th, creating a $50 million school voucher program for private and homeschooled children in Idaho.

Income Tax Reduction Bill signed into Law

State Capitol | March 6 | Idaho Capital Sun

A law reducing individual and corporate income tax from 5.695% to 5.3% was signed into law by Governor Little. The bill also exempts bullion from capital gains taxes and increases exemptions for certain military pensioners.

Idaho House passes bill to create legislative government efficiency task force

State Capitol | March 11 | Idaho Press

In imitation of Musk's DOGE, the Idaho House has passed a bill to create a legislative task force to focus on increasing efficiency within the state government that would operate until 2029.

Idaho Legislature introduces bill to ban public sleeping for homeless

State Capitol | March 10 | Boise Dev

The bill targets cities with over 100,000 residents, making homelessness a crime in Boise, Meridian, and Nampa.

Constitutional amendment to prevent marijuana ballot initiatives to be voted on in 2026

State Capitol | March 11 | Idaho Capital Sun

An amendment that would prevent marijuana laws from appearing as ballot initiatives, and instead only allow the legislature to pass marijuana laws, will appear on the ballot in the 2026 November election. There is an ongoing effort to gather sufficient signatures for a competing decriminalization ballot initiative to also appear on the 2026 ballot.

Highlights & Insights

📖 Long-Form Content

"One Bible, many versions" - An insightful exploration of the history of the many different versions of the Bible and the rationale behind various modern translations.
Read More →

🏛️ Apologetics Fact

The Improbability of DNA Arrangement: Research by Dr. Stephen Meyer has shown that the probability of a random DNA sequence forming a single protein (the most fundamental cellular components) is 1 in 10^164.

🗣️ Quote

"There are no atheists, only people who know and don't know the God they serve." – Jordan Peterson (12 Rules for Life)

🏅 Person: Godfrey of Bouillon

The leader of the First Crusade and a man of incredible valor and faith, you can read more about him (and others) in Defenders of the West (Ibrahim, 2021).

📕 Book: Starship Troopers

On the surface, the classic novel by Robert A. Heinlein is military science fiction, but just beneath the surface is a timeless treatise on leadership and political philosophy.