Karen Matthee
BIOGRAPHY:
Karen Matthee earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from UC Berkeley and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
A former journalist and communications officer, she worked mostly for newspapers in California, Washington and Texas.
She has a partner, Mike Gregoire, as well as a son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
She can be reached via email at kmatthee4idaho@gmail.com and online at kmattheeforidaho.com.
ANSWERS:
1. I would come into the Legislature with a strong bi-partisan perspective, ready to understand how things work and how things get done. I would seek out allies on both sides of the aisle and work with the appropriate committee chairs to make progress on my top issues. I feel it’s important to try and overcome the us-versus-them mentality, the in-fighting, if we are to truly represent the majority of our constituents and accomplish anything important. Also, I would have a robust outreach program for gathering input from folks in my district.
2. Cost of living. Many Bonner and Boundary County families struggle to cover basic expenses like housing, food and utilities.
Bringing back our doctors. Many of our best doctors have fled the state for locations where they can practice medicine without fear of criminalization. Also, there are barriers to our most vulnerable populations getting the care they need.
Properly funding public schools. The Legislature has failed its constitutional obligation to adequately fund public schools for decades. The governor’s bill is a positive step but does not go far enough to meet the needs of rural districts.
3. Cost of living — scrap the grocery tax, raise the minimum wage, switch to a progressive state income tax system, find a permanent solution to reduce property taxes, and fund childcare.
Doctors — Empower doctors to once again decide when an abortion is medically necessary to save a woman’s health as well as her life, and stop passing bills that criminalize doctors.
Schools — Tap into the $5.2 BILLION in revenue collection last year alone in sales tax exemptions that never get reviewed and never expire; allocate funds based on need, not just attendance; reject vouchers.
4. Yes I do, mainly because it will require candidates to be accountable to a broader spectrum of voters, not special interests, and will allow people to vote for the person, rather than the party. It will also give Independent voters, who have been shut out of Republican primaries, a voice. And many of those Independents are men and women serving in the U.S. military, and they deserve to have their voices heard.
5. Yes. More than a quarter of OB/GYNs and more than half of our maternal-fetal specialists have left Idaho. We’ve lost both specialties in Bonner County. And 59% of family practitioners are leaving or considering leaving. Women are driving an hour or more for OB appointments and delivery; other women are waiting three-plus months to see a gynecologist in Coeur d’Alene.
Doctors say at a minimum, it will take an exception to the abortion ban to protect the health and fertility of pregnant women in a medical emergency to satisfy doctors. The current law is vague and only allows them to save a patient’s life. Instead of making that correction last session, GOP lawmakers passed 3 more bills that criminalize doctors for providing the best standard of care.
6. Recruiting and retaining doctors to work in Bonner County, particularly in women’s health. I would support legislation that creates an exception to the abortion ban that allows doctors to save a woman's health and fertility, as well as her life, in a medical emergency. I would not support any legislation that contains the poison pill of punishing doctors for providing the best standard of care.
7. Long-term solutions to reducing property taxes. There’s an old system that worked well and garnered a lot of bipartisan support last session but failed to make it out of committee. That is the index to the homeowner's exemption, which was discontinued in 2016 and capped at $100,000. The most recent proposal would start it again where it would have been in 2016 at $224,360 and have it rise gradually along with home values. It would also distribute the tax burden more evenly between commercial and homeowner properties.
8. In the statehouse, I would treat all my fellow lawmakers with respect and seek out allies on both sides of the aisle to make progress on top issues. I would come in with a willingness to overcome the us vs. them mentality, the in-fighting, which is necessary if we are to truly represent the majority of our constituents and accomplish anything important. And I would continue to seek input from as many people as possible in my district, no matter which party they affiliate with.
9. I believe it does. Idaho is one of only three states that contribute $0 to below-market-rate housing. Non-profit organizations like Leap Housing, Kaniksu Land Trust and Bonner Community Housing Agency are joining forces to create some innovative solutions, which are necessary for our local businesses to recruit the workers they need. But those efforts do not begin to scratch the surface of what’s needed. They could accomplish so much more with financial support from the state. Investing in Idaho’s Workforce Housing Fund, which has sat unfunded for the past two years, would be a good start.
10. To start with, I would not close committee hearings to public testimony, either in person or via Zoom, which occurred a number of times in the last session. And I would make sure to alert citizens in my district in advance about committee hearings and other opportunities to offer testimony with as much notice as possible. Also, I would do my best to read emails and other correspondence from my constituents.
11. The desire and the ability to listen to people on all sides of an issue so that the lawmaker can make informed decisions based on input from their constituency as a whole, not just the ones who are in agreement with him or her.
12. What differentiates you from your opponent? Journalism taught me to listen as objectively as possible to people on both sides of an issue. As a legislator, I will make informed decisions based on input from all constituents, no matter what political party they belong to. I will weigh all possible effects of a bill, before casting my vote. And as a Democrat, I am not required, as Republicans are, to sign a loyalty oath which demands adherence to a limited and strict platform. I am not beholden to the supermajority or the views of an extreme and vocal minority. I will vote my conscience.
13. I think I said it in my previous answer. I will do my best to make informed decisions based largely on input from my constituents and what is best for their health, wellness and prosperity. I will make myself accessible to hearing your views, no matter what party you belong to. And I will work to break down the us vs. them mentality in the legislature and to foster collaboration across the aisle. It’s the only way we’ll achieve meaningful legislation on the issues that really matter.