How Real-World Experience Can Matter in Policymaking
How My Personal Experience Shaped My Votes
Recently, a misguided opinion piece accused conservative legislators like myself of seeking to “control women” while protecting men from consequences. This accusation is not only false but deliberately misleading. While I score highly on the Idaho Freedom Index, it’s important to clarify that the Index doesn’t rate legislators; it evaluates legislation based on the Idaho Freedom Index Metric and the Idaho Freedom Spending Metric. This transparent tool measures how well proposed laws align with the principles of limited government, individual liberty, and fiscal responsibility. Those of us who believe in these principles will naturally score high on the Idaho Freedom Index because it reflects our commitment to conservative, effective policymaking.
I am a disabled combat veteran with three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have seen the brutal consequences of government overreach and the exploitation of the vulnerable. My dedication to protecting individual rights, preserving justice, and ensuring limited government is not theoretical—it’s grounded in real-world experience. And it’s why I oppose misguided legislation like House Bill 88 that undermines justice instead of promoting it.
In South Korea, I witnessed young women from the Philippines lured by promises of well-paying jobs, only to be trafficked and compelled to work in local bars where they were coerced into prostitution to pay off the debts they incurred traveling to South Korea. Soldiers would sometimes pay off their debt and marry these women, but the underlying exploitation remained clear and deeply troubling. In Afghanistan, I saw heartbreaking examples of exploitation involving young girls being treated as property and sold off with no regard for their humanity. Those experiences left a lasting impact on me, reinforcing my commitment to protecting the most vulnerable from true exploitation.
Addressing trafficking and exploitation requires real solutions—solutions that empower prosecutors to target genuine perpetrators, not overbroad laws that criminalize those who could be key witnesses in dismantling trafficking networks. Effective policies must target traffickers and those who prey upon the vulnerable—not by expanding government power to criminalize situations where no coercion or exploitation exists, but by dismantling criminal networks and holding true perpetrators accountable.
This brings me to House Bill 88 (HB 88). The recent massage parlor raids in Twin Falls highlight precisely why I opposed this bill. Prosecutors successfully leveraged existing laws to obtain testimony from individuals involved in prostitution to go after those truly running trafficking operations. HB 88 would eliminate prosecutorial discretion essential for dismantling these trafficking networks. By turning misdemeanors into felonies without discernment, HB 88 would obstruct efforts to pursue real traffickers—those orchestrating the trafficking and prostituting of women for profit.
Effective prosecution requires a precision tool, not a blunt instrument. If we are serious about combating exploitation, we need policies that empower prosecutors to target those who coerce, traffic, and exploit others—not sweeping measures that punish those whose testimonies are crucial for bringing true criminals to justice. My commitment to real solutions that effectively combat exploitation and protect the vulnerable is unwavering.
Yet, despite my dedication to addressing real exploitation and injustice, critics have attempted to mischaracterize my principles and paint me as someone who would harm women. This could not be further from the truth. My approach has always been about supporting practical, compassionate solutions that genuinely improve the lives of Idahoans. One such solution is House Bill 134.
My decision to co-sponsor this bill was deeply personal. After hearing the bill presented in the House Health and Welfare Committee, I immediately asked Representative Green to be a co-sponsor. With six sisters, I have seen firsthand the struggles and anxieties that women face when it comes to accessing critical healthcare. Their experiences, concerns, and the stories they shared motivated me to support this bill.
The Governor has now officially signed this bill into law, providing Idaho women with better access to early breast cancer detection, especially those in rural areas where access to critical care is limited. Early detection of breast cancer saves lives and spares families the devastation of late-stage cancer. Supporting this bill is about delivering practical, effective health solutions that will genuinely improve the lives of Idahoans and ensure better healthcare outcomes for women across our state.
It’s about keeping families together, ensuring mothers, sisters, and daughters have access to the care they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. Ensuring better healthcare outcomes for women is just one aspect of my commitment to protecting life and serving the people of Idaho with practical, compassionate solutions. That commitment extends to defending the most vulnerable among us—preborn children. It’s why I am also a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1059, the 'Idaho Prenatal Equal Protection Act.'
This bill ensures that preborn children are protected under the same criminal and civil laws that protect born persons. It’s about applying the constitutional principle of equal protection under the law. Those who oppose this bill are defending a system that permits the legal killing of the most vulnerable among us — unborn children. Idaho deserves better. Our children deserve better.
Being a Conservative Republican means standing firmly for the sanctity of life, defending individual rights, and ensuring government remains within its constitutional boundaries. It’s about promoting personal responsibility, limited government, and protecting the God-given freedoms that make Idaho strong. Conservative Republicans believe in delivering real solutions to real problems — defending life at every stage, protecting family values, and preserving our cherished liberties. I will continue to fight for policies that uphold justice, safeguard innocent life, and ensure freedom for all Idahoans. That is what it truly means to be a Conservative Republican, and I will never back down from fighting for those principles.
