What a Difference One Election Makes!

A Message from the Gang of Eight

Apr 08, 2025

The Legislature adjourned sine die on Friday, April 4.

Sine die—Latin for “without a day”—marks the formal close of the legislative session. No set date to reconvene. No more committee meetings. No more floor debates. The gavels fall, the chambers quiet, and the halls clear.

This year, approximately 2,969 pieces of draft legislation were written. One thousand thirty-six of those drafts became RSes with an additional 342 changes, amendments, and engrossments, of which over 75% were introduced as bills, resolutions, memorials, or proclamations.

This session reflected a more conservative direction overall—something the Gang of Eight was proud to contribute to.

A More Conservative Session

Ask nearly anyone at the Capitol—this year was more conservative than last. Why?

Three reasons:

More conservative legislators,
More conservative legislation,
And more conservative votes in both chambers.

That’s not a coincidence. That’s the result of elections.

The Gang of Eight made major gains in the 2024 primary. Eight solid conservatives replaced eight squishy moderates. The difference in Freedom Index and Spending Index scores tells the story in numbers, and the outcomes of this session prove those numbers mattered.

Conservative Votes, Real Impact

Our votes mattered—especially in the Senate.

S1023 – The Medical Freedom Act passed the Senate 19-14-2. (Senators Adams and Ruchti were absent. Adams likely would’ve voted yes, Ruchti no.) Without Kohl, Zito, and Zuiderveld, the tally would’ve flipped to 16-17-2. Medical Freedom would’ve died.
H93 – School Choice passed the Senate 20-15-0. Again, without those three conservative senators, the bill likely would have failed 17-18-0.

Elections have consequences. The voters sent more conservatives to the Legislature, and as a result, more conservative legislation passed.

The Budget Fight

Our biggest impact this session? Setting the tone on spending.

Early on, we made a commitment, and we stuck to it.

We voted NO on budget after budget that didn’t meet our standards. The House and Senate even killed a few, and they came back smaller. We held the line, and even the Idaho Statesman took notice. From their April 4th edition:

Of course, the Statesman couldn’t resist blaming conservatives for “chaos” and a prolonged session. They highlighted the new two-tiered budget process (base vs. enhancements) and claimed our approach “hurt schools and healthcare” and “worsened the doctor shortage.”

What they didn’t report?

Idaho’s budget has grown 55% in just five years, far outpacing inflation and population growth. That’s not sustainable.
Preliminary numbers show this year’s budget grew by $200 million, smaller than in past years. That’s partly because we refused to rubber-stamp the Governor’s wishlist.

But let’s be clear:

That number doesn’t include transfers–money shuffled to agencies instead of going into the general fund.
It doesn’t include the $400 million held for “unforeseen expenses” instead of being returned to the people.

Imagine what we could’ve done with that: a bigger income tax cut? Or even a full repeal of the grocery tax.

As more budget details emerge, we’ll see how much government grew this session.

A Moment That Says It All

As we debated against budgets, we in the House regularly cited our pledge—a commitment to limit spending, reject federal dependency, and stop the unchecked growth of government.

During the debate on H449 (an appropriations bill that was ultimately defeated), the “pledge” came up more than once.

That’s when Representative Heather Scott (R–District 2) asked a question many across the state have been wondering:

“What is this pledge, and who is the pledge to?”

It’s a fair question. Watch Rep. Thompson’s response below:

That moment captured what the budget debate was really about: who we serve and why we take a stand.

Looking Ahead: Work in the Off-Session

The 2025 session is over. We’ve left the marble halls to meet with you in town halls. Over the next few months, we’re eager to hear your thoughts, answer your questions, and listen to your priorities as we prepare for the 2026 session.

In the meantime, our work continues. We’ll spend the interim digging deeper into agency budgets, tracking waste, exposing inefficiencies, and identifying spending that needs to be cut.

When we return, our focus will be clear: We will introduce policy bills that eliminate waste and return more money to the people.

We’d love to hear from you. Reach out any time. We welcome your ideas, feedback, and input as we plan the next session.

In Liberty,

Senator Christy Zito, District 8
CZito@senate.idaho.gov

Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld, District 24
GZuiderveld@senate.idaho.gov
Substack: @glenneda

Senator Josh Kohl, District 25
JKohl@senate.idaho.gov
Substack: @joshkohl4idaho

Representative Faye Thompson, District 8
FThompson@house.idaho.gov

Representative Lucas Cayler, District 11
LCayler@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @lucascayler

Representative Kent Marmon, District 11
KMarmon@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @kentmarmon

Representative Clint Hostetler, District 24
CHostetler@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @theidahoresolve

Representative David Leavitt, District 25
DLeavitt@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @leavitt4idaho

Paid subscribers to this Substack will be recorded on Zito For Idaho’s sunshine report as a contribution to a political candidate. Subscribers don't have special access or content. I appreciate your support.