Lori McCann

I have a very diverse background, including careers in education, business, and agriculture.

I have lived in District 6, for over 50 years, being a graduate of Lewiston High School and of the University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Science in education, along with working on a master’s degree. I am a wife, mother, and grandmother of 11, who has served as program coordinator and professor in the Paralegal and Legal Assisting programs at Lewis Clark State College for over 15 years. For the past 45+ years, I have worked alongside my husband to manage his law practice, our family corporation (consisting of a cattle ranch, timber, and commercial real estate development), and our personal partnership in residential and commercial rentals. I am a past member of the Tammany School Board, a past president of the Idaho Association for Legal Professionals, past president of the LCSC Foundation Board, a Board Member of the Idaho Community Foundation, a non-profit board, a Board and Exec. Board Member of (IBE) the Idaho Business for Education organization, serve on the University of Idaho Extension Office Advisory Board, have served as secretary and current precinct captain of precinct 19, of the NPC Republican Central Committee, and have served in the Idaho House of Representatives serving District 6, since my appointment in 2021.

Having various experiences in the teaching field, running several small businesses, including a working cattle ranch, and currently serving as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives, make me uniquely qualified for this office.

Candidate Questions

List your top issues you are promoting as part of your campaign

1.Property Tax Relief: I have been a vocal proponent of raising the Homeowner’s Exemption from $125,000 to at least $175,000.This would reduce the taxable value of a home by an additional $50,000.I realize this would create a “tax shift,” to commercial and agriculture property. However, the value of an Idaho home has grown significantly faster than that of the other two classifications of property. I have presented a bill the last 3 sessions to address this, but have not been able to get a hearing in the Revenue & Taxation Committee because of the tax shift.My reasoning for this is that the faster growth in our residential homes has created an imbalance in this 3-legged stool and should be updated to equalize the differences.

We have worked to find other ways to lower the property taxes on our homeowners through HB292 in the 2023 Session and HB521, in the 2024 Session. The funds appropriated for these two tax/education bills have provided a stream of funding that lowers our school bonds and levies, thus creating less of a burden on our homeowners.

In addition, the County Public Defender’s contracts are no longer paid for by our Counties, these contracts are now the responsibility of the State of Idaho, thus creating another means to lower our County property taxes. I will continue to advocate for lower property taxes through adding additional funds to HB292, and HB521, raising the homeowner’s exemption to an adequate amount, and will seek other means by which we can lower our property taxes.

2. Education: Since my appointment in 2021, I have been a “Champion” for Educational Opportunities for our kids from K-12 through higher education. I have also been a loud proponent that it is the State’s responsibility to provide a safe environment for our children to learn. We have nearly $1 billion dollars in maintenance of our school buildings that we have failed to address for decades. I will continue to work with my colleagues to find answers to help our school districts fix their buildings, or to help them fund a new school through other means, than on the backs of our homeowners. We have a good start in the funding we appropriated in 2024, through HB521, but this is JUST A START! We must do more to properly address this issue. Education is the backbone for a successful community and state! I will continue to be a champion for public Education.
 

3. Infrastructure: As a state, we have worked hard to put our dollars to work in updating our aging bridges and roads. District 6 can see these dollars in motion from the updates on Highway 95 outside of Craigmont, down the Winchester Grade, in and around the Casino, and on up the hill to Moscow. There are other great projects happening across the District and I will continue to fight for dollars for our roads in the North! North Central Idaho must continue to fight for our share of the infrastructure dollars.

4. Business: I will continue to support policies that encourage and promote a better business climate for our state’s small and large businesses. To encourage growth in our business sector, we must be vigilant in reducing regulations that are costly and inhibit growth. To encourage new business growth, we must continually review our business tax structure to ensure that our policies are fair, but friendly to entice new businesses to the Great State of Idaho. This year, in HB521, the income tax for all Idahoans was lowered from 5.8% to 5.695%.I believe we must seek to find new ways to encourage business growth in our smaller, rural areas that are not growing like the rest of our State. Idaho’s economy is one of the best in the Country, and we need to find ways to bring more business to our smaller communities. With new business, however, it brings about new challenges for affordable housing. This is a cycle that ties into our high property values and high property taxes.

5. Agriculture: Our state has a long and steep history rooted in agriculture. We have over 25,000 farms and ranches that produce close to 200 different commodities. I will strive to continue my work to enhance every aspect of agriculture by supporting policy that encourages growth and helps our ag businesses thrive. I will continue the work that was done this last Legislative session to encourage large animal vets to return to Idaho to live, work, and to raise their families. Idaho’s agriculture remains one of the most important aspects of our State’s economy and we all need to work together to keep our ag businesses alive.

There’s an expectation that candidates must explain which potential laws they will promote if elected. Let’s flip that around and ask, “What existing law will you seek to repeal and why?”

I will seek to change (not a total repeal) the State’s laws surrounding Women’s Health. If an Idaho OB/GYN or in the case of an Emergency Doctor, believes a woman presents with a situation where there is nothing more to do for the woman other than to terminate her pregnancy, the doctor cannot perform any procedures that might lead to the termination of her pregnancy unless the woman is on death’s door. If a fetus is dying in utero and it has been determined that nothing can be done to help save the child, but the woman is still in a healthy state, Idaho law does not allow a doctor to treat a pregnant woman until she is to the point of losing her life. This is driving highly qualified OB and emergency doctors out of our state. I am pro-life, but Idaho needs to have an exception when the health of the woman is compromised and there is nothing more to do other than to wait for her to be on death’s door. This is unacceptable and our physicians should have a clear path to do their job without fear of criminal action against them.

A famous chant of Democrats since the 1980s is “You can’t legislate morality.” - Should morality and virtue be considerations in public policy? i. If not, why not? ii. If so, what standard will you use to decide what is moral? - Can the “the will of the public” be wrong? i. If not, why not? ii. If so, please describe your leadership role relative to public policy making when the public will is wrong.

Yes, I do believe morality and virtue are considerations when making public policy.Public policy is made to solve and address real world problems relevant to the time in society.The challenge comes when one group tries to instill their own set of morals and beliefs upon another group.If one’s morals infringe on the rights of another, then the public policy may certainly be challenged in a court of law.I believe in the Rule of Law and believe in the people having the right to exercise the rights given to them under the United States Constitution.When making public policy that is addressing a moral issue, lawmakers must be very careful that they do not only view the problem from their own personal lens but from the lens of all of the people they represent, and from the place that protects the freedoms of the people to make decisions for themselves, if possible.These moral issues are challenging because one hears from multiple perspectives with multiple moral standards.I would not say that the “will of the people” is wrong, but I might personally view the will of the people not to align with my own moral compass.There are certain issues that must be regulated.However, if we try to legislate every issue we do not like, we will have a society with less freedoms and very unhappy people.If we attempt to sacrifice freedoms to get virtue, it is said we will end up with neither.When legislating and making “moral” decisions, communication with the people is critical.

Substantial portions of Idaho wilderness are controlled and managed by the federal government. What is your viewpoint on this land management issue?

The federal government owns more than 2/3 of Idaho’s land. It is managed through several federal agencies. My viewpoint is that if the Federal government would allow Idaho to manage the federal lands within its state boundaries, that the State could produce higher revenues than what the current system provides. In addition, if the State were to manage these forests in a more responsible way, we could thin the forests, manage the brush and undergrowth to help mitigate damages when fire does strike. The federal lands in Idaho have been mismanaged for decades and I would be a proponent of taking control of the federal lands within our boundaries.

Provide an example of an emerging public health phenomenon that you think warrants further research and investigation.

An area of real concern to me is the virus that attacks our deer and elk populations called CWD, or Chronic Waste Disease. This disease can lay dormant in an animal and may take a year or two before showing any signs of disease. There is no cure, and at this time, only samples of brain tissue can confirm the existence of the virus. At this time there is no evidence that this disease can cross over to humans, but we can remember very clearly the Mad Cow disease and how it resembles a brain wasting disease in humans called, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).I would like to see our universities take a more active role in researching this issue to find ways to test live animals for CWD.As I stated above, the only way to test an animal is after it is dead by taking a sample of the brain tissue. The big cause for concern is if an animal is taken for meat, can this disease pass to a human? This is a disease that is shed from the animals. The shedding of these prions can lay dormant in the ground for years!When an animal eats the grass where an infected animal has been, the prions are then ingested and the cycle continues.

Describe your approach to promoting appropriation transparency for the public.

Every state agency should have their budgets clearly posted to “transparent” Idaho! We are working as a state to be more transparent, and with that the people should not have to hunt to find the answers they are looking for. This is a fairly new process and as a state I believe we are doing a better job to inform the people of how their dollars are being spent.

Describe one way to improve the appropriation process.

Better transparency, all budget requests should be posted to the website and easily accessed.

Describe the areas that state government has a responsibility to fund.

There are many things the state government is obligated to fund. Education (K-12 thru Higher Ed) transportation, including roads, highways, bridges, Medicaid/welfare, Police/safety, State Prison system, Judicial branch. These are all areas that citizens cannot provide for themselves.

Describe the relationship and tensions that exist between State, County and Local government.

I would like to say that the State has a good working relationship with its County and City governments. However, there are constant tensions between the three areas. State Legislators often believe that they need to make decisions to “fix” a problem at the local level. Government closest to the people should be the government that governs best. I strongly believe this and that local control of local issues is best. When the State tries to overstep its authority and take the power away from the local government, it hurts the localities ability to work with its own people to solve their own problems. The state rebels when the Federal Government tries to overreach and make decisions that the State should be making, and the local governments are no different.

Collaboration between the local governments and the State is imperative! There are areas in which the parties all MUST work together. An example is that the State needs the help of the local governments with regard to economic development and the vitality of the State’s economy. When a local government is successful in bringing in new businesses to an area, it also helps the State. Taxes are paid, purchases are made, and success for the local government is also success for the State.

GENERAL QUESTIONS FOR ALL CANDIDATES

Freedom: Explain your position on First Amendment rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Do you think these rights have eroded?

I believe wholeheartedly in the rights outlined in the 1st Amendment. Living in the U.S. we enjoy many freedoms that other Countries do not afford to their citizens. We have the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peacefully assemble and freedom of petition. No law can be made that will violate these freedoms. The beauty of the 1st amendment is that it is for all the people. Everyone is treated the same under the 1st amendment. At times I do believe these rights have eroded, and at other times, these rights have strictly been enforced, depending upon the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Race-Based Politics: Martin Luther King famously stated, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Also, the Preamble to the Idaho Republican Platform states, “We believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.” What is your perspective on race or sex-based politics?

Unfortunately, race or sex-based politics is alive and well. Another term is “identity politics. ”Politics based upon a particular identity, such as race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social status, etc. We saw this play out most recently in the “Black Lives Matter,” movement, and with the “White Nationalist Movement,” both of which show extremes and that racial tensions still exist in our Country. I do not believe extremism on either side is healthy nor helpful. Our Constitution says that all men are created equal, and if we would remember that, our Country would be much better off.

Illegal Immigration: Over two million immigrants have crossed U.S borders in the last 15 months accompanied with human trafficking, drug trafficking, violent criminals, and potential terrorists that Americans are paying for financially and in other ways. What are your thoughts on local impacts resulting from illegal immigration?

The local impacts resulting from illegal immigration are wide-spread. The amount of drugs, in particular, fentanyl, crossing our U.S. borders is outrageous. We are seeing more and more arrests for possession of fentanyl than ever before. This lethal drug must be stopped. The drug cartels do not care who or how many lives are taken as long as they continue to make their money. I was a co-sponsor of the fentanyl bill brought in the 2024 session. Will this law keep the cartels from bringing the drugs across the border…no. However, the law we passed has enough teeth in it, that we hope it will keep some of the drug dealers from bringing it into our State for fear that if they are caught, they will spend some mandatory time in prison.

Limited Government: Describe your policy position on taxation, spending, and budgeting relative to state or local government?

The Idaho Legislature must pass a balanced budget each year prior to ending the Legislative Session. I believe that we all have an obligation to pay our fair share to the Government, to provide the services that we, as citizens, cannot provide for ourselves. We pay taxes based upon our taxable income, sales tax on the goods we purchase, and property taxes based upon the value of our real property. This is called the 3-legged tax stool. When one leg of the stool is out of balance, it throws off the system, and the stool may very well fall over. We should pay enough taxes to pay the state’s obligations, and have funds in our rainy day accounts. We have had surpluses in the past which says we have collected more in taxes than we really need. We have sent some of this money back to the tax payers, funded infrastructure projects that were long overdue, and filled up our rainy day accounts. We need to work on finding a better way to gauge the spending needs and collect closer to what is needed so we do not end up with the large surpluses. I would rather the people keep more of their hard-earned money to use for their families. Taxation and Spending are the necessary evils of running a government, whether the State or local government. I know there is no magic bullet to determining the actual budget with the actual revenue and spending, but when we under estimate by millions and millions of dollars in revenue and end up with huge surpluses, those funds should be returned to the people if at all possible.

Problem Solving: Describe two difficult interactions you have experienced and how you contributed to a resolution?

I have had situations come up where two people disagree on an outcome. I have been able to sit down with the two individuals or groups, use my skills and experience from working in the legal field or through my leadership positions to negotiate a positive outcome.

There are daily interactions in the legislature that require patience, compromise, and compassion. In my years of experience working in the legal field, we work with upset clients on a daily basis. I have learned to use leadership and negotiation skills to work towards a solution. Whether it is a client, a student, faculty member, or a constituent, working with people and finding a solution is an art and comes with experience.

Republicanism: Do you subscribe to the Idaho Republican Party Platform? Describe any exceptions.

Yes, but with exceptions:

I strongly support the Idaho State Constitution, the U.S. Constitution and the Preamble of the Idaho Republican Party platform in total. I am committed to conservative values and to our Idaho way of life.

I believe in:

-limited government

-taxes that are reasonable to pay for the needs of services demanded by our citizens

-family values and that parents, not the State, have a sacred duty and legal right to raise their children how they see fit. The GOP platform is inconsistent here and seems to pick and choose when this fits

-defending our 2nd amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution

-fiscal responsibility but recognize that the legislature MUST pass a balanced budget every year. Just voting no on every budget does NOT make one a fiscally responsible legislator

-prolife but with exemptions that currently exist in the law regarding rape, and incest, and for the health and the life of the mother

-individual freedoms

-local control

While I support the majority of the platform of the Idaho Republican Party, I disagree with the following provisions:

Article 1: Section 3C – I do not support repealing the 17th Amendment. I believe Idahoans should have the right to elect their U.S. Senators.

Article 1: Section 4A: I do not support Idaho’s return to the Gold & Silver standard. This is impractical, and very expensive.
Article 1: Section 5D: This is impractical. If we stop all federal funds from coming into the state, we would have to raise taxes substantially to pick up the slack of required programs, particularly with Medicaid expansion voted on by Idahoans. Federal dollars are the dollars of Idahoans and we should be able to utilize such for the benefit of Idahoans.

Article III, Section 3: I disagree that public tax dollars mandated by the Idaho Constitution should be diverted to pay for private schools. Sending public tax dollars to private schools is not fiscally responsible.

-Section 12: The State Board members are selected to represent all regions of our State.

Article XIV: I am a proud prolife woman, but I believe that we need the exemptions that currently exist in the law regarding rape, and incest, and need to include for the health and the life of the mother.

Governance: The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” How will this declaration influence you in administering your office, if elected?

I work very hard as a legislator to listen and communicate with those that I represent. I believe in this statement, and I believe that we are all created in the likeness of our creator. Too often I see legislators look down upon others who may take a differing view on social issues. No matter what, each person should be given the opportunity to speak, and to be treated with respect. Unalienable rights are the rights that are God given and cannot be taken from us. As a legislator I think about this statement all the time. When we are faced with difficult social decisions that seem to protect the rights of one, but take away some right of another, I think about this and ask God for guidance.