Newsletters
I want to let constituents know what's going on in Idaho's Legislature. You can sign up to receive my newsletter below. You can also read them here.
2023 Newsletters
2024 Newsletters
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News
August/September/October 2024
I was pleased to once again receive the endorsement of the Idaho Statesman editorial board for my race in District 15.
Idaho Education News published this analysis of the crucial Senate race in D15. My opponent couldn't be bothered to answer questions about education. That's because her answers aren't good. She wants to shift funding to private and religious schools.
I was honored to speak last month at the Meridian Library District's 100th anniversary celebration. Meridian now has five libraries to meet the demands of a growing population. I was also pleased to learn that the Idaho Library Association recently named me as one of their “Legislators of the Year” for my support of libraries.
The Idaho Capitol Sun posted a story about the D15 race. It shows some distinct differences between my opponent and me.
Here's a pic of the great volunteers from District 19 who helped us knock doors on a Saturday morning. District 18 volunteers helped out in the afternoon. Between the volunteers and our D-15 candidates, we knocked on more than 1,000 doors!
Jim Jones wrote about my race in his weekly column, lamenting the influence of out-of-state money.
In case you missed it, here's what The 208 did with last week's interview about Boise's first airplane flight. They always do a great job.
Shari Baber and Senator Rick Just at the Solar for All rally at the statehouse. Shari was a featured speaker at the event which promoted rooftop solar.
The 208 did an excellent report on the "simple" bill that complicates reporting sexual abuse for victims. This was a straight party-line bill in the House and Senate. Democrats were on the right side of this one.
News
July 2024
Rick rode along with an Idaho State Police trooper to learn more about what they do. Read about it in the August newsletter
In July, Rick attended the bipartisan Councel of State Governments session in Portland, learning more about coping with wildfires, right to repair, improving kidney health, energy alternatives, AI issues, and threats to election workers. Read about it in the July newsletter.
Democrats all over the valley demonstrated in support of libraries in July. Here's what that looked like at the library at Cole and Ustick, where Rick joined District 15 and 16 Democrats in support of libraries.
Debbie Reid-Oleson with Rick during the delivery of the open primaries initiative to the Secretary of State. They grew up riding horses together in the Blackfoot River Valley. Debbie, Rick's cousin, still ranches near there when she's not gathering signatures.
Many Western Legislative Academy graduates attended the Council of State Governments session in Portland, including Idaho Representative Marco Erickson (cowboy hat) and Idaho Senator Rick Just. Representatives from Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming also attended.
Rick sometimes posts photos of Dogs of the District and pups he meets while knocking on doors. This one's a celebrity. Puck, one of Rick and Rinda's dogs, was Mr. July in the Idaho Humane Society calendar.
D-15's Senator Rick Just, Representative Steve Birch, and candidate Shari Baber joined Senator Melissa Wintrow in welcoming student campaign volunteers from all over the valley in July at Kristen Armstrong Park.
It was a terrific Fourth of July parade in Boise. The #segwaysenator rolled along with the marching Democrats.
The Lava Ridge wind turbine project proposed for public land near the Minidoka National Historic Site is controversial. I visited the Historic Site a couple of weeks ago to learn more. Joining me for the tour was Jerome County Commissioner Charlie Howell, Idaho State Senator Ron Taylor, and Wade Vagias, Superintendent for National Parks in southern Idaho. Leading our tour was Ranger Midori Tanada, center in the photo.
June 2024
Senator Rick Just represented Idaho at the National Coalition for Open Roads conference in Utah. His particular interest is in learning what is killing the trees in the Payette River Canyon and finding a way to prevent the die-off.
Rick loved this from the Idaho Capital Sun on June 10: "In Idaho, Bayer’s proposal ran headlong into Democrats who opposed weakening legal access for farmworkers, farmers, and rural families who can all be impacted by dangerous pesticides." Read the whole story here.
Rick was the only legislator from Idaho who attended an excellent conference on energy transmission held in Spokane. He learned about innovative ways utilities can better distribute power over existing lines.
Rick joined other valley legislators in a tour of CWI facilities in June. Eighteen years ago this school didn't exist. Now it has more than 30,000 students! The photo is of a Prius they use for training. Their EV repair program also has three Teslas.
Volunteers helped Rick clean up MacMillan between Cloverdale and Five Mile last month. Senator Rick Just and Volunteers clean the road twice a year. Helping out were Kristin Thompson, Jennifer Walt, Linda Worden, Patti and Jim Stevenson, and Jerry Marcintonio. Thanks, everyone!
Rick publishes a daily Idaho history blog on Facebook that has about 11,000 followers. It isn't partisan, but occasionally, the subject is politics. In June he wrote about the history of gas tax in Idaho.
Rick helped give the Ustick Elementry lunch servers a break on Server Appreciation Day. The handsome blue guy is Westy, the West Ada nutrition dragon. Principal Heidi Jackman-Rahn was passing out pears. I gave them cookies. So who was most popular? Westy, who just waved at them as they came through!
Many Legislators do have committee duties during the summer. This is Rick during an Interim JFAC meeting. He is also on the Federalism Committee and the Idaho Council on Indian Affairs, both of which meet in the summer.
That snowy egret was prancing around the State of Idaho Campus in a park-like area that serves many neighborhoods in District 15. There were concerns about how the area was being managed, so Senator Just and Boise City Counselor Luci Willits hosted a neighborhood meeting in June where State Campus administrators answered questions.
Rick caved to social pressure and began wearing a helmet when riding his Segway. He uses the vehicle to get around neighborhoods when knocking doors. Even though the helmet looks goofy, he's modeling good behavior for kids! Here's a video about it.
RIck was pleased to see Bruneau Dunes get its designation as an official Dark Sky Park. He was a driving force behind efforts to bring the first observatory to the park when he worked for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.
Rick speaks to many groups about Idaho history topics. In June, he gave a presentation on Idaho broadcasting history to the History of Idaho Broadcasting Foundation. In his early years, Rick was a radio announcer in Eastern Idaho and Boise.
May 2024
In May, Rick introduced his new wheels to the world and the hashtag #segwaysenator. Here's the video.
May included Teacher Appreciation Week. Rick's favorite teacher was his mom, Iris Just Adamson. She taught first and second grade for most of her career in the Blackfoot, Firth, and Shelley school districts. Who was your favorite teacher?
May 21st was Idaho's primary election. Rick didn't have a primary opponent, so it's on to November!
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Representative Steve Berch and I hosted a "backstage" tour of the capitol last Saturday. It's always a fun event. We'll do it again next spring. If you can't wait, you can get a tour anytime by going to this website.
Senators Rick Just and Janie Ward-Engelking, West Ada School Board Chair Lori Frasure, and Superintendent Derek Bub pose with a big check for West Ada. The passage of HB521, which provided funding for facilities and property tax relief, benefits all school districts in the state.
In May, Rick presented Joplin Elementry with a check for $1000. He earned it for the school by participating in the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation's annual Steps for Schools competition. That's principal Chris Kelley with Rick. Bonus: He got to talk with Ms. Cottier's 3rd grade class and answer their tough questions!
April 2024
An article Rick wrote for Idaho Magazine is in the April issue. The magazine regularly features a Spotlight City. Presto, Idaho qualifies. Sort of. Presto, the little community of ranches where Senator Just grew up, did have a post office at one time, which qualifies by the magazine’s definition.
Senator Just and Representative Steve Berch held one of three town hall meetings during the legislative session in April. About 50 people came to Centennial High School to make their voices heard.
The Second Regular Session of the 67th Idaho Legislature began on January 8, 2024, and adjourned Sine Die on April 10, 2024.
March 2024
Rick spent three hours on a Saturday doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit. It was a lot of fun. Questions and comments were generally well-thought-out and respectful. Rick got questions about school funding, homeless people, water issues, and more. It was almost like door-knocking!
I carried S1383, the appropriation bill for the Department of Parks and Recreation. It included enhancements for more park personnel, an increase to seasonal employee pay, increase park operations, statewide RV improvements, utility upgrades at Lake Walcott State Park, a Shoreline Erosion Grant at Lake Cascade State Park, funding for recreation and infrastructure improvements. Signed by the governor.
I sponsored S1412, the appropriation bill for the Department of Environmental Quality. It included operational costs at the Bunker Hill Superfund site, a cash transfer for cleanup at the site, and employee raises. It passed both houses and the governor signed it.
Kendra Witt-Doyle, PhD, executive director of the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, presented Rick with a $1,000 check for Joplin Elementary. The Foundation sponsors the Steps For Schools program each year, encouraging Legislators to walk 10,000 steps a day for the month of February. Rick hit the goal by weight lifting and pedaling on a stationary bike at the West Valley Y.
I came as close to getting gaveled down as I'll probably ever get this week on the Senate floor when I tried to convince my majority party colleagues to reinstate a summer food program for kids in the Health and Welfare budget. The program was cut out when a couple of Senators made forceful but false arguments about rich kids getting food subsidies. Read about it in newsletter 13.
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I sponsored S1284 at the request of a constituent. The legislation requires those hospitals taking out a lien on property to inform the owner of the property by certified letter that they have done so. Representative Stever Berch carried it in the house. It passed with only one vote against in each body, and was signed by the governor.
I sponsored H0057. The purpose of this bill is to streamline the process for disabled veterans who receive a disabled veteran license plate to receive a placard for their second vehicle. Representative Steve Berch carried it in the House. It passed unanimously in both bodies and was signed by the governor.
I carried S1430 on the Senate floor. It was the appropriation to the Commission of Pardons and Parole. The bill passed unanimously in both houses and was signed by the governor.
I carried S1430 on the Senate floor. It was the appropriation to the Commission of Pardons and Parole. The bill passed unanimously in both houses and was signed by the governor.
Working with fellow Marine Corps veterans senators Chris Trakel, R-Caldwell, and Ben Adams, R-Nampa, we got a bill through the Senate that exempted military retirement from Idaho income tax. Idaho is one of a handful of states that taxes military retirement.
Sadly, we couldn't get it out of committee on the House side this year.
I carried H0547 in the Senate. Representative Steve Berch wrote the bill and carried it in the house. The law exempts all those eligible for Purple Heart license plates from paying a specialty plate fee. Unanimous in the House and Senate, signed by the governor.
In a series of close votes the Senate passed the ITD budget that included the provision that the sale of the old HQ building be stopped. I strenuously objected, saying that Idaho was going back on its word to the developers.
I sponsored S1431. This appropriation to the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections provided enhancements to the FY 2025 maintenance budget. It passed unanimously in both houses and was signed by the governor.
After fending off bad anti-library bills for two years, Democrats and Moderate Republicans couldn't stop this one. Now, libraries will have to create adults-only sections, even if they serve only children. Expect litigation from all sides.
February 2024
I’m proposed legislation prohibiting Homeowners Associations (HOAs) from requiring grass lawns. Under the bill, you could keep the lawn you have, or you could opt for water-saving landscaping instead. It died in committee, but I'll be back next year with a revised version of the bill.
Under oxymoronic legislation proposed by Senate Majority Leader Kelly Anthon R, Burley, bad actors in Idaho could only be labeled domestic terrorists if they had a foreign connection. This twisting of a definition was the specialty of Big Brother in George Orwell’s book 1984. War is peace. Domestic is foreign. It passed the Senate but went nowhere in the House
In February, I made my first appearance of the session on KBOI's morning show.
Their audience skews conservative, which is fine by me. I enjoy being behind a mic again. I spent 13 years in radio, mainly in Boise.
Video games often have a way to buy another life. Proponents of H1432 must have found that button. This is the bill that would give pesticide and herbicide manufacturers some protection from lawsuits. Every day, I hear at least a dozen times that the bill is alive, no it’s dead, no, it’s alive! We finally killed it, but expect it to be back next year.
Representative Steve Berch joined me as we sponsored the first of three town hall meetings in District 15. We do this so we can tell constituents what's going on in the Legislature and to give them a choice to voice their opinions.
The Idaho Water Users Association named me an Ag All-Star. That's Paul Arrington, the Executive Director of the organization. D-15 is one of the most urban districts in the state, so it might surprise you that I pay close attention to agricultural issues. grew up on a ranch in Eastern Idaho and was the president of my FFA chapter when I was in high school.
I was the only one of 20 JFAC members to vote against the budget that prohibited the sale of the State Street HQ. The agency has already moved to the State of Idaho Campus in D-15. I don't want to see Idaho go back on its word on this.