Goesling is last local legislator left in Boise

Idaho 5th District Rep. Bill Goesling, R-Moscow, is the only District 5 legislator left in Boise, but he could be back on the Palouse today.

Sen. David Nelson, D-Moscow, returned to Moscow on Tuesday in response to COVID-19 concerns and Rep. Caroline Troy, R-Genesee, was at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow on Wednesday awaiting the birth of her grandson.

Goesling guaranteed Wednesday night that the legislative session would be over by noon today, noting it was possible it would wrap up Wednesday night.

Troy said Jennifer Seegmiller, a nurse practitioner at Gritman, voted in her place to finish the session.

Nelson said in a news release Tuesday that “the continuation of the session is irresponsible, reckless and an unmistakable disregard for the health and safety of our constituents.”

Troy disagreed.

“I trust that we can rely on the advice and council of our health care and public health officials to make informed decisions about continuing the legislative session,” Troy said in a text message. “Most of us serving are in the age range that has more risk.”

With three aging parents and a new grandchild on the way, Troy wrote that she has a great personal concern about the exposure and spread of the coronavirus.

Troy wrote that Republican Gov. Brad Little and his COVID-19 task force said that the session is still safe to go on.

“It’s insulting to suggest that the decision to stay in session isn’t made with the best current knowledge of the outbreak and strategies to keep Idaho and Idahoans safe,” she wrote.

The leadership of the Idaho House and Senate have been in daily, and sometimes hourly, contact with the governor’s office and his task force and the decision to stay in session was not made lightly, Troy wrote.

She wrote that they even explored recessing for 90 days or closing the Capitol building down to anyone outside the Legislature and staff.

Not finishing the budgets before going home would put state agencies in a very difficult position, Troy wrote, noting the fiscal year starts July 1.

“Delaying their budgets until so close to the start of the new year would be terribly unnerving and disruptive,” she wrote.

Nelson said in the release he was “greatly concerned about the blatant disregard” for recommended safety precautions by health experts to slow the spread of the virus.

Like Troy, Nelson also assigned an individual to vote on bills for him in Boise.

“We are putting the lives of people in this building at risk,” Nelson said in the release. “The longer we stay, the more likely it is that we will also chance carrying the virus home with us when the session does finally wrap up.”

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.