Gov. Brad Little said his office has received “thousands” of public comments weighing in on House Bill 93. But his staff has yet to release data verifying the volume or showing how many people have supported or opposed the private school choice bill now sitting on his desk. 

Idaho Education News has asked the governor’s office three times since Friday for a tally of comments received so far.

“We are still working to count them all,” Joan Varsek, Little’s press secretary, said Tuesday. “Thanks for all your understanding with this process.”

Little’s deadline to take action on the bill is around noon on Thursday. 

House Bill 93 would create a $50 million refundable tax credit program covering private education expenses. It’s the first time a private school choice bill has reached the governor’s desk. The Senate approved it Wednesday, after it previously cleared the House, and the divisive proposal has generated significant public interest.

EdNews previously reported that the House Revenue and Taxation Committee received more than 1,000 emails on HB 93, and 94% of messages opposed it. Little told reporters Tuesday that his office has received “thousands” of messages since the bill cleared the Senate. 

Some of the negative feedback has been an “overreach,” Little said during an annual, mid-session Q&A hosted by the Idaho Press Club. HB 93 doesn’t take money out of the public schools budget, as many commenters have claimed, Little said. It would take “money out of anticipated revenue into the general fund.”   

But Little said he is weighing the public sentiment before he decides whether to sign or veto the bill. “I don’t believe that Idaho or this country is a true democracy, where you just make decisions based on the number of people that show up, but you absolutely have to take that into account.”

The governor’s office last week set up an automated phone system to manage the volume of calls urging Little’s action on HB 93. A recording asks callers to dial 1 for “sign” or 2 for “veto.”  

“Callers also have the option to leave a message or speak to a staff member,” Varsek said Thursday. The governor’s office has used a similar system before “on topics that generate more calls than staff have time to answer.”

EdNews first asked for call data on Friday. Varsek said by email that the office was “working to collect and record all responses received, however with the influx of voicemails to go through we will not be able to have an update until Monday.” 

The Idaho Press also asked for the data, and had yet to receive any numbers by Tuesday.