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Representatives Scott, Dixon report back to
Boundary County citizens in Town Hall meeting |
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February 28, 2018 |
By Sara Hall, Writer
BONNERS FERRY — Idaho State District 1
Representatives Heather Scott and Sage Dixon
spoke to a full house during a Town Hall held at
Providence Bible Presbyterian Church in Bonners
Ferry on Saturday, February 24.
 Representative Sage Dixon presented first,
saying that when he went to Boise, he had two
main goals. One was to do something to stop
human trafficking, and the other was to help
better the jobs situation for Idaho veterans. He
was gratified that he had been able to work on
each of those goals. He had met other
individuals working on those issues, and had
worked with them by sharing his files and ideas.
Dixon, who is on the Joint Finance and
Appropriations Committee, described legislation
meant to stop the trafficking of prostitutes
across state lines. Dixon emphasized that
oftentimes underage girls are forced into
prostitution against their will, and then are
kept in that industry by the lifestyle.
According to Representative Dixon, in the Boise
area alone there are 3,000 women involved in
prostitution, including underage females. The
House heard testimony from women between the
ages of 15 and 40 years old. Legislators worked
with citizens in the hospitality industry as
part of their work to address this problem.
Under previous code, people trafficking persons
across state lines were guilty of a felony on
the third offense. By striking the “s” from
persons, legislators hope to make the act of
trafficking even one person across state lines a
felony, since previously, by transporting only
one person at a time, violators were able to
circumvent the law.
A second step in closing loopholes in existing
code is to make procuring a prostitute a felony
on the first offense. Dixon said that the idea
is to lower the demand side of the industry, and
that most of the individuals engaging in
procuring prostitutes are upper-class and
well-to-do. “We can’t just go after the pimps
and the women,” he said. “We have to go after
the man side of the equation.” According to
testimony, the majority of those seeking a
prostitute do not protest when offered an
underage girl.
Next, Representative Heather Scott shared that
she is encouraged by the kind of bills she sees
coming up for vote in the State Legislature. She
shared information about a bill known as HB419
American and Idaho Laws for Idaho Courts, saying
that this bill mandates that, in Idaho courts,
American and Idaho law, rather than foreign laws
and legal doctrines, will be used to decide
court cases. Acccording to Scott, this bill is
designed to protect American Constitutional and
Idaho individual rights and liberties from being
silently eroded.
Scott also spoke of HB473, a bill designed to
push back on indefinite detention of Idaho
citizens, saying that it’s an application of the
Tenth Amendment. She said that other states are
using the Tenth Amendment to allow for the use
of marijuana, so why not use it to nullify the
provision of the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA)? The NDAA allows indefinite detention
of a person suspected of terrorism without being
charged. This bill passed the floor of the House
Monday, February 26.
Both HB419 and HB473 now go to the Senate
Committee, and then to the Senate floor for a
vote.
Among other legislation, Scott described new
legislation that reverses trespassing
regulations. Previously, property owners had to
post No Trespassing signs on their property, or
hunters and others could go on their property at
will. “If this bill passes in Idaho, you won’t
have to post signs,” said Scott. “It’s up to
people to know where the private lands are. It
protects people with private property.” The
legislation was lobbied for by the Idaho Farm
Bureau.
After their presentations, Scott and Dixon held
a Q&A period together.
Town Hall attendees repeatedly thanked both
Representatives Heather Scott and Sage Dixon for
their service on behalf of North Idaho citizens.
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