September 12, 2011

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In this month's E-News, you will find information on:

This photo is from a town hall I hosted in Coeur d'Alene. To see more photos from town halls and other meetings during my time in August click here.

Idaho Town Hall Forums

Welcome to the September edition of E-News!  Last month, during Congress’ traditional August state work period, I hosted town hall meetings across Idaho and had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of Idahoans concerned with the direction of our country. From north to south and east to west across our great state, I heard time and again the concern of constituents who rightly wonder when they can expect to see Congress truly address the country’s debt and deficit and move our economy in the right direction.

From my forums in Twin Falls, Meridian, Coeur d’Alene, Rexburg, Weiser and Driggs, and in more informal meetings across the state, the message was clear: Idahoans are frustrated that Congress continues to fight political battles instead of working together to get results. The bottom line is that Congress needs to act immediately to make the economy stronger, and the deficit spending must stop.

Senator Crapo answers constituents' questions at a town hall forum in Twin Falls.

Telephone Town Hall

Many Idahoans could not attend the various town hall meetings I held in the state last month and the iTownhall allows Idahoans from all parts of the state to participate via their telephone. The debt crisis remains our focus in Washington and I appreciate the input from Idahoans on how we should proceed to reduce spending. In order to participate in the meeting, all you need is a telephone, and is there is no fee. Participation is voluntary, and listeners are given an opportunity to ask me questions about topics regarding federal policies or legislation. The next iTownhall is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 7 p.m. Mountain Time / 6 p.m. Pacific. To ensure participation, it is best to sign up two days prior to the event, at my website, http://crapo.senate.gov.

In addition to my interactions with constituents at events in Idaho and electronic forums like the iTownhall, I am always interested in what you have to say through your e-mail messages on my official website, comments on Facebook, or in letters and phone calls to any of my offices.

All of my contact information can be found at the end of this newsletter.

Grizzly Bear Shooting

On September 8, 2011, the U.S. Attorney for Idaho dropped charges against an Idaho man, Jeremy Hill, who killed a grizzly bear in defense of himself and his family. I am relieved that the government finally decided to do the right thing, but I still have deep concerns about this incident and the government’s initial decision to prosecute Mr. Hill, who did what any parent would have done if they were confronted with the same circumstances. I understand that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is intended to protect threatened and endangered species, but Congress never intended to do so at the expense of basic public safety and the ability to protect oneself or their loved ones in the face of danger.

Congress needs to get to work on commonsense ESA reforms to ensure that this deeply unfortunate situation never happens again. As such, I am working with Senator Risch and Congressman Labrador to introduce legislation that would allow individuals like Mr. Hill to protect themselves and their families when confronted with a seemingly imminent grizzly attack. The American people need to know that they can protect themselves, their families and property when threatened by federally protected wildlife, and that the government will support their right to do so. Passage of this legislation will send that message, loud and clear.

Teen Dating Violence

Between January and June of this year alone, there have been 15 intimate-partner related deaths in Idaho--11 of which were in the month of May and included three toddlers and an infant. Four of these deaths have taken place in the Pocatello area, where a community group, called Citizens Against Violence, has been organized to address this community concern. To put this number in perspective, in the entire year of 2010, there were 16 domestic violence deaths in Idaho, and there were 7 in 2009. Many lives have been cut short through heartbreaking and preventable means. We all have an individual and collective responsibility to end violence in our homes and communities.

With incidents of dating violence like the ones described above in the news and on the increase, I recently introduced federal legislation to boost education and awareness about teen dating violence in Idaho schools. 

The “Stop Abuse for Every Teen Act” or “SAFE Teen Act” would:

  • Authorize schools to use existing grant funding for teen dating violence prevention
  • Highlight teen dating violence prevention as part of the comprehensive, community prevention program, Safe Schools, Healthy Students, that already funds prevention activities
  • Support better teen dating violence data to understand the scope of the problem as well as having a means of measuring the impact of prevention programs and policies
  • Support promising practices to further replicate, refine and test prevention models

The legislation does not include any mandates and is budget neutral without any additional funding. The SAFE Teen Act enables schools to tackle dating violence with awareness and prevention initiatives that will continue the steady progress that we have already made in combating teen dating violence within our schools and communities.

Still looking for more information?  Use the questions to the left to specify issues that are of concern to you. 

It is my hope that you will benefit from being aware of changes in legislation of concern to you.  Please visit the Issues and Legislation section of my website for information that addresses many issues important to all of us.  As always, I highly value the opinions and concerns of my fellow Idahoans.  With that in mind, we continue to work to improve my website.  

Please do not reply to this e-newsletter.  Any comments, suggestions or concerns that you have should be sent to me through the E-mail Me section on my website.  Also, let me know if there are issues that you would like me to address.
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