| Name | Barbara Ehardt |
|---|---|
| What office are you running for? | Idaho State Representative |
| County, District/Township | Idaho Falls |
| Address | 961 J Street Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402 Map It |
| Phone | (208) 403-6686 |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Are you currently the officeholder and seeking re-election? | yes |
| Is this your first time running for office? | No |
| Election Date | 05/23/2024 |
| Your Website | BarbaraEhardt.com |
| Copy & Paste Your Social Media Handles Here | rep.ehardt.idaho = instagram |
| 1. What inspired you to run for public office, and what positive changes do you hope to bring to your district/state if elected? | I was absolutely inspired to run for office with the intent to help preserve this great country and our great state of Idaho. Constitutional principles were being replaced with Marxism and traditional family values were being replaced by LGBT agendas. I have stood strongly against all of this. I have successfully sponsored legislation that has been aimed at protecting the family, including major pro-life bills, and protecting our 1st amendment rights. I was also the first person that worked with Glenn Beck in successfully bringing attention and legislation designed to stop ESG. Since that time, BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street and others have changed their tune (for now) on their un-American, Marxist, social credit scoring. And yes, in the process of doing all of this, I have had a national voice as being the original sponsor of the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” legislation designed to keep biological boys & men out of girls & women’s sports. I’ve testified in most states that has passed this legislation, and many of them personally, as I have been a highly sought after testifier due to my knowledge of this legislation and my past history as both a DI Women’s basketball player at Idaho State and as a 15-year Division I Women’s basketball coach at four fantastic institutions, including UC Santa Barbara, BYU, Washington State and then as the head coach at Cal State University, Fullerton. Below, I listed some of the legislation that I sponsored that both already passed and have yet to pass. I have also included the links where the legislation can be viewed, including a back click to see the Statement of Purpose, fiscal note and sponsors – me! Major legislation that has PASSED SB1329 – Medical Parental Rights, 2024 – protects the rights of parents in ALL medical decisions of their child until the age of 18. Supersedes all current laws which interfered with parental rights. HB242 – Abortion Trafficking, 2023 – prevents ANYONE (such as counselors) from taking a minor child across Idaho’s border for an abortion without the consent of a parent. We used to call this kidnapping. SB1309 – Heartbeat Bill, 2022 – we followed the language of Texas in writing this legislation. It is our “backup” bill in case anything ever happens to language we already had passed in our “trigger law” that said if the Supreme Court ever overturned Roe / Wade, our law banning abortions would go into effect. That occurred June 24, 2022. HB228 – Definition of Abstinence, 2023 – Idaho did not have an definition of abstinence and as is typical, various sources in our education system began to redefine abstinence to mean the “abstinence” of getting pregnant and the “abstinence” of getting HIV or STD’s. I did quite a bit of inquiring to try to get this right. In the end, we were able to include abstinence until marriage as a part of our definition. This was a huge win. HR5 – Day of Tears, 2022 – Resolution remembering January 21, the date abortion was allowed, and the 62,000 million babies who had been murdered by abortion. This BIG TIME triggered the Dems all over the state and nation, as this went viral. HB190 – ESG – Contracts, 2023 – prevents banks and credit unions from using ESG scores to boycott against Idahoans. HB191 – ESG – Contracts, 2023 – prevents government from using ESG scores to secure procurement for bids. SB1291 – ESG – Contracts, 2024 – prevents the use of ESG in contracts for boycotting any of Idaho’s industries. HB182 – Coach Kennedy’s Law, 2023 – this was the first of it’s kind, state legislation to protect our 1st amendment to Freedom of Religion. I turned to First Liberty Institute, the same organization that defended Coach Kennedy in front of the Supreme Court to write this. Now we have a belts & suspenders in protecting freedom of religion for both our students and employees at the K-12 level. Legislation that has yet to PASS HB 684 – Campus Free Speech, 2020 & 2022 – I have been working with ADF to pass this needed legislation in Idaho. Idaho’s campus’ continue to violate the free speech rights of students. I just had Zack Pruitt, Senior council with ADF, here to hash out concerns with Boise State. Hopefully in 2025, we will be able to protect free speech rights of all students in Idaho. HJM 1 – Greater Idaho Resolution, 2023 – I have been the legislative face of the Greater Idaho movement that would bring in all of Eastern Oregon into Idaho as a part of our state. I 100% believe in this movement. If you cannot seek redress from your government for wrongs being perpetrated on you – because it is your government that is doing it – then you should be able to seek redress from another government – the State of Idaho. This is where we are. RS TJA184 – Student Bill of Rights, 2023 – I was originally working on a much stronger version of this with Alliance Defending Freedom. But a much weaker version came forward. I was frustrated but signed on as it was something better than what we had in education. |
| 2. Please identify the top three critical issues facing your state, and how do you envision solving them to benefit the communities in your state? | 1) Strengthen the Family – the family is the basic unit of government, as our founders had laid out, but more importantly, the base unit of society, as our Heavenly Father has laid out. When we value the family, when the family unit is strong, upheld by traditional family values, the nation is strong. The plan to strengthen the family is so multi-faceted, that I will aid in this by continually bringing this topic up with my colleagues. |
| 3. Would you support or oppose implementing specific policies to promote fiscal responsibility and reduce government spending at the state level, while also addressing debt and ensuring a sustainable economic future for your state? | Support |
| 4. Do you support or oppose the belief that the pandemic’s negative impact on medical freedom, which emphasized the importance of safeguarding individual liberties, as well as its negative economic consequences on the people, calls for crucial lessons learned and need for both federal and state governments to avoid overregulation and overreach on small businesses while effectively preparing to handle future challenges? | Support |
| 5. In the context of the Bill of Rights, do you support or oppose safeguarding and upholding individual liberties, such as the right to bear arms and freedom of speech, when confronted with potential challenges? | Support |
| 6. Considering the ongoing debates on the environment, would you support or oppose balancing economic growth and environmental protection in your approach to environmental policies? | Support |
| 7. Do you support and advocate for religious freedom as a fundamental right for all citizens in our nation? | Yes |
| 8. Given the issues concerning open borders, border security, and drugs (like fentanyl), do you endorse the classification of Mexican cartels as a terrorist organization and recognize them as a significant national security threat to the United States? | Yes |
| 9. Do you believe the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are important and necessary? | No |
| 10. Would you support or oppose the implementation of policies to expand school choice options, such as charter schools, vouchers, or education savings accounts, to empower parents to make the best educational decisions for their children? | Support |
| 11. Would you support or oppose passing laws to make it illegal to transition children medically or chemically under 18 years of age? | Support |
| 12. Would you support or oppose passing laws to restrict the education of students from K-12 on gender identity, homosexuality, and sexual conduct, and instead, adhere strictly to biology, science, and biological nature? | Support |
| 13. Would you support or oppose implementing classical liberal arts education standards in K-12? | Support |
| 14. Do you believe that parental rights are fundamental and hold the highest authority, and would you support prioritizing and protecting these rights in education? This includes acknowledging parents’ fundamental role in teaching, raising, and nurturing their children. Please indicate whether you support or oppose this approach. | Support |
| 15. If elected, would you support and implement the bill introduced by Moms for America Action that endorses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Standard in schools, prohibiting obscene, indecent, and profane content, similar to the regulations for radio and TV broadcasts? | Yes |
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