It’s been a tumultuous first two weeks in the Idaho Legislature. It started last week when Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke removed Republican Representative Heather Scott from her committee assignments for comments she made about her colleagues.
The move came after Scott was accused of telling another lawmaker that women in the House trade sexual favors with leadership to secure committee chairmanships. That’s when Representative Christy Perry of Nampa wrote a letter to the Speaker saying Scott displayed aggressive and anti-social behavior during meetings.
This week, five other House members stood in solidarity with Scott and told the Speaker they wanted to be removed from their committees until she was re-instated.
Boise State University Political Science Professor Gary Moncrief keeps us up to date each week with our Weekly Legislative Update. He talks about how and why House Speakers use this type of punishment against Representatives.
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