Week 5

Welcome to Week 5 of Motivation Monday!

This week, we’re sharing tips to help you tell your story effectively. Your personal experiences are powerful tools for advocacy—they can inspire change, build understanding, and create connections.

Tips for Telling Your Story:

Be Authentic: Speak from the heart and share your real experiences. Your unique story matters.

Stay Focused: Highlight the key points you want to share—what happened, how it affected you, and what you need.

Make It Relatable: Explain how the issue impacts not just you but others in the community or state.

End with a Call to Action: Share what you’d like your audience to do next—support a bill, provide funding, or simply listen.

Practice Your Delivery: Whether writing or speaking, practice helps you feel confident and prepared.

Need help crafting your story? Check out these resources:

https://padlet.com/IdahoParentsUnlimited/ipuls-legislative-resources-2025-v1uey13tb3khk4cr

https://ipulidaho.org/news/legislative_update/

Your story can create change and make a difference. Whether you’re advocating for your family, your community, or a cause you care about, your voice is powerful.

[Week 5] Legislative Update

This Week’s Highlights:

Key Legislative Actions:

️STATE – Idaho House Bill No. 138: Medicaid Expansion, conditions

This new bill would help keep Idaho’s Medicaid program strong and available for those who need it most by making sure resources are used fairly and responsibly. It sets rules for continuing Medicaid coverage for healthy adults while focusing on work, accountability, and financial sustainability. Key points include a work or volunteer requirement and enrollment limits.

️STATE – Idaho House Bill No. 93: Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit

** On February 5th House Bill No. 93 was sent to the floor with a “Do Pass Recommendation” and filed for a second reading.**The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit helps families cover education costs by offering a refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 per child for parents, guardians, or foster parents who pay for qualified education expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring, college entrance exams, textbooks, curriculum, and transportation for academic instruction. Families of children with special needs who require additional support may qualify for up to $7,500. While all families can apply, priority is given to those earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level, who can also request a one-time advance payment in their first year.

️STATE – Idaho House Bill No. 26: ABLE Accounts

**On February 5th, House Bill No. 26 was sent to the floor with a “Do Pass Recommendation” and filed for a second reading.** This new legislation improves the Idaho ABLE Account Program, making it more affordable and accessible for individuals with disabilities. It updates Idaho Code 56-708, originally passed in 2017 to support independence and opportunities for Idahoans with disabilities. The changes allow the Idaho State Treasurer to partner with a national ABLE account program, which helps reduce costs for participants. It also strengthens oversight and protections for account holders. Additionally, the bill promotes financial literacy education through the Idaho State Treasurer’s Office and the Idaho State Independent Living Council. These improvements aim to make it easier for individuals with disabilities in Idaho to save money without losing essential benefits.

️FEDERAL – Executive Order to: “End Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling”

Parents trust schools to provide a strong education and teach children to appreciate our country and its values. However, according to the White House, some schools have introduced topics that many parents feel go against these values and limit their ability to be involved in their child’s learning. Some students have been taught to see themselves as either victims or oppressors based on race, while others have been encouraged to question their identity in ways that may create confusion and division within families.

Get Involved!

You can use IPUL’s “Power of a Personal Story” template to craft testimony to share with legislators. Other testimony tips can be found in the padlet as well. You will find all our tips at this link https://shorturl.at/kSLOf

Looking Ahead:

Updates on upcoming legislative actions will be shared as they become available. Stay tuned!

Stay Connected:

Week 5

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