Dist. 1 lawmakers Sauter, Woodward attend Sandpoint town hall

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

Idaho District 1 Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, and Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, gathered with constituents March 15 for what may be the last local town hall of the 2025 legislative session.

About 80 area residents turned out for the event at Sandpoint VFW Post No. 2453, which included brief updates from Sauter and Woodward followed by a lengthy question-and-answer period.

Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle, did not attend, which drew criticism from resident Tari Pardini, who said, “I can’t believe Cornel’s not here — he’s a coward,” to which the crowd responded with applause.

Town halls with both state legislators and members of Congress around the country have been tense in recent weeks, including in Kootenai County where a constituent was forcibly removed from a town hall by security personnel in February, making headlines around the country for alleged rights violations.

The mood was congenial at the Sandpoint town hall, with Bonner County Democratic Party leader Karen Matthee thanking Sauter and Woodward for being available to constituents.

“Our lawmakers are receptive even when we’re not in agreement,” she said.

Rep. Mark Sauter, left, and Sen. Jim Woodward, right, address constituents at the Sandpoint VFW Post No. 2453 town hall meeting on March 15. Photo by Ben Olson

Legislators highlighted a few of the major bills already signed by Gov. Brad Little or still in the process, including House Bill 40 — a major tax cut measure signed by Little on March 6 — H.B. 93, which allocates $50 million in state money to be used for private school tax credits and was also signed by Little in February; and H.B. 368, which is working through the Statehouse and would eliminate a number of seats available to Idaho in the five-state WWAMI Regional Medical Education Program.

Both Sauter and Woodward voted against H.B. 93, and also opposed H.B. 368.

Sauter said that while the Legislature had hoped for an adjournment on Friday, March 21, it is likely that the session will go on for “at least” three more weeks, considering some of the state’s largest budgets have yet to be set.

Meanwhile, the 2025 Legislature has produced nearly 900 bills — a flurry of activity amid continued uncertainty about how federal spending and policy changes might affect Idaho.

“One thing that’s happened this year that hasn’t happened in previous years — the federal government is moving on a lot of things, too,” Sauter said. “This session, particularly, there’s been a hurry to get tax bills passed before federal policy [is made].” 

Woodward noted that he was one of two Senate Republicans to vote against H.B. 40, citing his concern that its $250 million reduction in state revenue cuts too deep and threatens other budgets.

“If there’s a tax cut, you have to balance that with reduced expenditures,” he said, noting that the bill lowers the state’s income tax by almost 0.4%, likely making it impossible to allocate dollars to the Public Education and Budget Stabilization funds, and even fund firefighting efforts at a level previously called for by Little.

Woodward also took issue with a provision in H.B. 40 that removes capital gains and losses for precision metal bullion from income taxation. Noting that it would primarily affect one company in the state that donates heavily to some lawmakers, Woodward called it, “dirty politics; I didn’t want to be a part of that.”

Sauter voted in favor of H.B. 40, and in response to an audience question said, “I felt in general I’d rather have some tax relief than not.” However, he added, “I didn’t like the gold part.” 

Sauter and Woodward were also asked about H.B. 243, which seeks to address the child care shortage in Idaho by eliminating certain regulations and making the licensing of providers a state level responsibility.

Sauter said he voted for the bill after being “won over by the argument of, ‘Is it worth a try?’”

Woodward voted against H.B. 243, arguing that the regulatory structure should not be with the state but local levels of government.

“[W]e’re trying to make decisions in the wrong spot,” he said, adding that decisions should be made “as close to home as possible.”

Sauter said that the Legislature has “pulled a lot of things back in” to state control, presenting a challenge to local decision making. Meanwhile, he said the mood in the Statehouse is one of “suspicion of authority” and reluctance to approve expenditures on “almost anything.” If that indicates a desire among some lawmakers to convert to a full-time Legislature, Sauter said, “I do not share that view.”

Asked about his vote in favor of H.B. 364 — creating an Idaho Department of Governmental Efficiency task force, mirroring the DOGE efforts at the federal level — Sauter said, “I thought some evaluation of state departments was worthy. … I didn’t see a problem with the spirit of it.”

Woodward, however, said that while he’s also in favor of efficiency, “I see this a little bit as a bandwagon.”

Other legislation brought up by attendees included H.B. 376, which seeks to change state law to allow the carrying of concealed weapons on public property, regardless of whether it is being used by a private party under a lease agreement. If signed by the governor, it would reverse earlier court decisions stemming from a legal challenge over the Festival at Sandpoint’s no-weapons policy.

Sauter voted against H.B. 376 because, “I knew it was a Sandpoint issue,” he said, referring to the yearslong legal battle that resulted in the Festival and city of Sandpoint prevailing with the argument that private leaseholders have the right to set their own policies and rules on public property during the term of their lease. Woodward also indicated that he would oppose it in the Senate.

Listen to a recording of the full town hall at krfy.org.

Correction: This article has been amended to state the correct number for H.B. 376.