Scott Bedke
Bio | Bedke went to BYU, and where he studied finance. |
Status and Position | Current State House of Representatives of Idaho |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Republican, Idaho |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
Campaign Financing | Bedke has raised $599,237 over the course of his career. His largest contributions have come from the agriculture sector ($107,105), the finance, insurance, and real estate sector ($101,004), and the energy and natural resources sector ($75,760). Source: https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=6575785 |
Voting Rights | No clear stance on issue. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Socialized Healthcare | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Private Healthcare | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| LGBT Rights | Against | Bedke is against LGBT rights. Bedke voted for HB 509, which would prohibit changes to the gender written on one's birth certificate, as well as in favor of HB 500, a bill that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in school sports. In 2015, he also voted for a bill that would impeach any federal judge who rules in favor of gay marriage. Source: https://www.idahopress.com/eyeonboise/house-votes-53-16-in-favor-of-transgender-birth-certificate-bill-defying-court-order/article_625a005c-3867-5f1f-9512-ca72783abd3a.html https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2020/legislation/H0509/ https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/transgender-athletes-bill-passes-idaho-house-as-anti-trans-youth-treatment-bill-dies/article_0a23f171-9b30-5ec0-884f-1804d29aaf12.html https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2020/legislation/H0500/ https://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2015/mar/20/house-votes-44-25-non-binding-measure-calling-impeach-federal-judges-over-gay-marriage/ https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2015/legislation/HJM004/ |
| Taxes | Against | Bedke is against taxes. Bedke has supported tax relief in the form of a grocery tax credit, which he introduced. He has also voiced his opposition to growing property taxes. Source: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/capitol-watch/idaho-house-speaker-scott-bedke-increases-bill-to-increase-grocery-tax-credit/277-d928966a-1112-4852-91ed-abad414c01d0 https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/208/idaho-republican-leaders-say-property-tax-relief-still-a-top-priority/277-cfebdfe1-d89a-46b5-abde-85454fe38f79 |
| Flat Tax Rate | For | Bedke has supported flat tax rates. He voted in favor of a bill that would implement a 6.6% flat income tax rate, raising the tax for lower to middle income earners and lowering the tax for top income earners. Source: https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/capitol-watch/idaho-lawmakers-considering-sales-tax-increase/277-175987800 https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/post/democrats-call-idaho-tax-bill-financial-circus https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2015/legislation/H0311/ Bedke has supported tax relief in the form of a grocery tax credit, which he introduced. He has also voiced his opposition to growing property taxes. Source: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/capitol-watch/idaho-house-speaker-scott-bedke-increases-bill-to-increase-grocery-tax-credit/277-d928966a-1112-4852-91ed-abad414c01d0 https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/208/idaho-republican-leaders-say-property-tax-relief-still-a-top-priority/277-cfebdfe1-d89a-46b5-abde-85454fe38f79 |
| Abortion | Against | Bedke is against abortion. Bedke voted in favor of HB 366, which would make abortions illegal after the heartbeat is detectable. Source: https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0366/ |
| Gun Control | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Government Interference | Against | Bedke is against government interference, and has stated that he has worked hard to fight government interference. Source: https://apnews.com/article/idaho-government-and-politics-0f39a90b94c7f0b14c427d0a461d8972 |
| Planned Parenthood | Against | Bedke is against Planned Parenthood. He voted for HB 220, which prohibits public funding for abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood. Source: https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0220/ |
| Welfare | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Welfare | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Death Penalty | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | For | Bedke is for mandatory minimum prison sentences. He voted against a bill that would allow the judge's discretion when sentencing for drug trafficking. Source: https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2019/legislation/H0099/ https://www.acluidaho.org/en/legislation/2019-hb-99-mandatory-minimums |
| Military Spending | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| War on Terrorism | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| United Nations power | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Nationalism | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Free Markets | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Brexit | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Affirmative Action | Against | Bedke is against affirmative action. He voted for a bill that works to combat affirmative action. Source: https://www.idahostatesman.com/article240227461.html https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2020/legislation/H0440/ |
| Government Spending | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Charter Schools | For | In 2021, Bedke voted in favor of HB 22, 353, and 388, which all would work to enhance funding for and better support charter schools. Source: https://www.idahopress.com/townnews/politics/house-reconvenes-passes-higher-ed-budget-on-49-20-vote-after-much-debate/article_e4927708-f15d-579c-8bc9-dd1e58c091ee.html https://lcvalley.dailyfly.com/Home/ArtMID/1352/ArticleID/59303/House-passes-higher-ed-teacher-salaries-budgets https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0353/ https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0388/ https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0022/ |
| Common Core | Nuance | Bedke's stance on Common Core standards is nuanced. Bedke has stated that he believes the Common Core helps create "consistency," and makes Idaho students more competive in comparison to other states. However, he has also mentioned that there are difficult issues with the Common Core. Source: https://www.idahoednews.org/east-idaho/common-core-conundrum-lawmakers-acknowledge-difficulties-with-k-12-standards/ |
| Clean Energy | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Religious Freedom | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Separation of Church and State | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Border Control | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| DACA | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | Nuance | Bedke voted for HJR 004, which would make it increasingly difficult to legalize marijuana in Idaho. However, he also voted for legalizing hemp production in Idaho. Source: https://www.idahopress.com/eyeonboise/house-rejects-anti-drug-constitutional-amendment/article_3000c091-fcf5-5bf7-84f5-fa1cd407c1dc.html https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0126/ https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/HJR004/ |