Fighting for an Idaho & America True to Our Founding Principles
A few of the big ones. There are dozens more.
Idaho taxpayers were stuck footing the bill for teachers' union dues, and that money turned into NEA lobbying against the very people paying for it.
I carried the bill that ended it, and I dragged it across the finish line. The fight split the Senate GOP. The Wall Street Journal took notice. It's law now.
There's a favorite trick for shutting people up: sue them for speaking out, then drag it out in court until they can't afford to keep talking. Idaho had no protection against it. None.
I sponsored Idaho's first anti-SLAPP law. Now a bogus lawsuit aimed at your speech can get tossed early. The Senate passed it overwhelmingly and the House passed it unanimously.
Remember 2020? Government and schools in Idaho can't force masks on you or your kids anymore. I carried the bill so we never have to fight that fight again.
Idaho Dispatch: Bill banning mask mandates heads to governor ↗Health & Welfare ran up a $15 million child care budget overrun. Plenty of legislators shrugged. I sponsored HB 90 to rein in the bureaucrats responsible.
Local News 8: HB 90 headed to the governor ↗I moved my family out of California in 2010 so my kids could grow up in a place that still made sense. Now I spend 81 days a year in Boise making sure Idaho doesn't turn into the place we left.
A country that won't decide who gets in has quit being a country. I put my name on E-Verify and on ICE cooperation. Our own Republican supermajority buried both, because the cheap labor lobby likes things exactly how they are.
I don't. I'm not done.
A shared language is what turns strangers into neighbors. English is how a welder in Nampa and a farmer in Kuna end up arguing at the same diner counter. It's ours, and Idaho's government should speak it without apology.
Faith, family, hard work, and being left alone. That's the Idaho worth keeping. I helped kill DEI in our universities, banned mask mandates for good, and fought for parents' rights all session long. Your kids belong to you. Full stop.
He votes against the establishment when they're wrong (which is often). He beat the same go-along incumbent twice. He names the lobbyists nobody else will name in public.
And yes, those are Cheetos.
See the receipts >>The end-of-session letter most legislators won't write.
I'm Brian Lenney.
I grew up in Southern California and had a front-row seat while that place slowly lost its mind. The people who built it got taxed, regulated, and lectured right out of it, and the people running it called that progress.
In 2010 we packed up the family and moved to Nampa. I wanted my kids growing up somewhere that still made sense. Turned out to be the best call I've ever made. Idaho felt like the country I remembered, and I'd like to keep it that way.
My politics? America First conservative. Old school, on purpose.
Borders should mean something. Families should be left alone by the government. And America has no business funding wars on the other side of the planet while our own people struggle. I believed that back when saying it out loud got you frozen out of Republican fundraisers, and I believe it now.
That's most of the platform, honestly. Put Americans first. Put Idahoans first in Idaho. Quit apologizing for either one.
When I'm not in the Senate I'm probably fishing somewhere. That's where my brain actually works right. Something about Idaho's backcountry resets everything and reminds me why any of this matters.
My voting record speaks for itself. I vote against the establishment when they're wrong, which is often. I didn't run for office to go along and get along. District 13 already had a go-along guy. I beat him. Then I beat him again.
Idaho's worth protecting. That's why I'm here.
BrianEvery candidate in Idaho says he's conservative. Here are my bill numbers. Look them up.
Carried the bill that stripped teachers' union dues off the taxpayer dime. Taxpayers quit footing the bill for NEA lobbying.
Signed into lawPushed American law for American courts through the Senate.
Signed into lawVoter affidavit reform that puts real teeth into voter ID at the polls.
Signed into lawRescissions and cuts that clawed back agency spending, including millions from the fed-funded, Minnesota-style daycare program. Idaho sat on a $1.6 billion surplus and Boise wanted to spend it. I didn't.
Clawed backWent in with several immigration enforcement bills, including ICE cooperation. Every one was killed or refused a hearing by our own Republican supermajority, with the Sheriff's Association testifying against.
BlockedSponsored the anti-SLAPP law. If someone files a lawsuit just to scare you into silence, you now have a way to get it thrown out. Free speech, defended.
Signed into lawSponsored a permanent ban on mask mandates. Never again.
Signed into lawSponsored a bill cutting Idaho's public health districts down to size. They had their run in 2020.
Signed into lawSponsored a bill to rein in Health & Welfare bureaucrats after a $15 million child care budget overrun.
Signed into lawSponsored a bill making Health & Welfare bureau chiefs fireable. Wild that it took a law.
Signed into lawSponsored a stack of transparency and accountability bills (H312, H215, H222, H113, H358) so you can see what government does with your money.
Signed into lawSponsored E-Verify so employers have to confirm their workers are here legally. Never got a hearing. Ask yourself who benefits.
BlockedSponsored a bill requiring Idaho law enforcement to pursue 287(g) status for ICE deputization. President Trump gave a clear directive to deport illegals. The Idaho House shrugged.
BlockedCo-sponsored the Medical Ethics Defense Act.
Signed into lawCo-sponsored a bill against indecent public exposure (think: "Nampa PRIDE").
Signed into lawCo-sponsored a bill making Ivermectin available over the counter.
Signed into lawPassed a school choice tax credit. Your money, your kids, your call.
Signed into lawMade sex ed opt-in instead of opt-out. Parents decide, not the district.
Signed into lawKept men out of women's locker rooms.
Signed into lawThe death penalty for child rapists.
Signed into lawMade the firing squad the method for death penalty cases.
Signed into lawFixed vaccine exemptions so they favor parents.
Signed into lawPassed the Medicaid Reform and Cost Containment Act.
Signed into lawRaised the grocery tax credit. That's over $400 million back in Idahoans' pockets.
Signed into lawPassed the Idaho Medical Freedom Act, protecting Idahoans in public and private jobs from forced medical mandates.
Signed into lawEliminated DEI in Idaho higher education. DEI died in Idaho, and I was on the floor when it happened.
Signed into lawThe floor speech the day Idaho shut down DEI in higher education.
Watch on YouTube >>
"At a time when sound financial management is essential, Idaho simply can't afford to lose him. While his opponent has consistently approved bloated budgets, Brian has been on the front lines fighting against such excessive spending. I proudly endorse Brian Lenney for re-election, confident that his continued leadership is crucial for our state's prosperity."Raúl Labrador, 2024
"I've dedicated over 40 years to law enforcement, most of it serving as a Nampa police officer. During that time, I've come to know Senator Lenney closely. He's a staunch supporter of our law enforcement community, and I wholeheartedly endorse him for another term in the Idaho Senate."Joe Lindauer, Retired, Nampa Police Department · 2024
Sponsored a bill stopping foreign entities, specifically China, from stealing Americans' genetic information. First bill like it in the nation.
Signed into lawSponsored a ban on socialist "Universal Basic Income" programs in Idaho's cities and counties. Idaho stays a place where you work for what you have.
Signed into lawGave police and prosecutors more muscle in sentencing fentanyl traffickers.
Signed into lawBroke the state budget into pieces for the first time in decades, so legislators vote on real line items instead of one all-or-nothing blob.
AccountabilityCast the deciding vote to kill a bill that would've made it nearly impossible for parents to get obscene content out of libraries.
Killed itKilled a bill that would have handed Big Pharma legal immunity for what its products do.
Killed itSupported a bill shielding kids from obscene materials in libraries.
Signed into lawBacked a bill defining male and female in Idaho law. Sex and gender mean the same thing. Always have.
Signed into lawVoted to protect students and government employees from being forced to use "preferred pronouns."
Signed into lawDefended property owners from being forced into federal housing assistance programs (rent control by another name). A huge win for Idaho conservatives.
Signed into lawFought tooth and nail against taxpayer money for DEI offices, "equity" centers, and the governor's free college scheme (House Bill 722), which I see as a leap toward socialism.
Fought itStood firm with Defend the Guard. Idaho's National Guard should never be chess pieces in pointless forever wars. Guard our own ground.
Stood firmFought like hell for parental rights in education, health care, and everywhere else the government tries to elbow parents out.
Every daySex ed went opt-in. Here's the case I made for it on the floor.
Watch on YouTube >>Sponsored a bill so CPS can't investigate you or decide your parental rights based on your kid's vaccine status.
Signed into lawCo-sponsored a bill protecting Idaho gun owners from ESG-driven "backdoor registry" schemes.
Signed into lawCo-sponsored property tax relief for Idaho homeowners.
Signed into lawSupported a bill keeping foreign governments, China in particular, from buying up Idaho farmland.
Signed into lawSupported separate bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and overnight rooms for biological boys and biological girls in public schools.
Signed into lawSupported a bill confirming parents are the ones who decide how their kids are raised.
Signed into lawSupported rejecting ESG agendas and keeping Idaho's money under Idaho's control.
Signed into lawSupported a revolving loan fund for public charter schools (S1043, H0113). More choice, more competition.
Signed into lawSupported abstinence education in Idaho schools.
Signed into lawSupported banning ranked choice voting in Idaho elections.
Signed into lawSupported banning transgender surgeries on minors. Kids can't consent to irreversible procedures.
Signed into lawSupported rejecting COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Signed into lawFought Idaho's biggest spending bills in committee and on the Senate floor.
Fought itSupported getting pornography out of public libraries. The governor vetoed it.
Vetoed by governorSponsored striking the anti-Catholic Blaine Amendment from Idaho's constitution, so religious schools aren't shut out of parental choice.
BlockedI put Social Emotional Learning material from Idaho schools on the record in committee.
Watch on YouTube >>End-of-session letters, minus the spin.
Dear Fellow Idahoan,
We just finished 81 days in Boise. And I want to give you the real account of what happened, not the version that makes everyone look good.
So, a few wins first.
I personally carried the bill that stripped teachers' union dues off the taxpayer dime. Got it passed. American law for American courts (I pushed that through in the Senate)? Now signed into law. And my voter affidavit reform that actually puts teeth into ID voter verification at the polls is now law. These weren't wins that fell into my lap. I put my name on the legislation and dragged them through to the finish line.
We also landed some hits on the money side. Idaho's sitting on a $1.6 billion surplus and the instinct in that building was to spend it. Every surplus is an invitation to grow government, and there are plenty of people in Boise who answered that invitation enthusiastically.
I didn't.
We pushed through rescissions and budget cuts that clawed back agency spending (and gutted millions from the fed-funded Minnesota-style daycare program too). But I want to be straight with you about what all of this actually is. Cutting agencies and clawing back program dollars is treating symptoms.
The disease is a spending culture in Boise that assumes every surplus belongs to the government first.
I held the line where I could but I'm not in the majority the way I'd need to be to actually win that war. So we won some battles this session. But the war is still very much going. And nothing proves that more than the biggest fight we could have had this session, the one we didn't have. Not really, anyway. I'm talking about illegal immigration. It's not just a "federal issue." It touches everyone in Idaho. Your neighbor who can't find construction work. The school that can't figure out who's actually enrolled. The wage that won't go up because someone will always undercut it with labor that doesn't cost what labor should cost.
I personally went in with several enforcement bills and they ALL got killed or refused a hearing before most Idahoans ever heard they existed.
Not by Democrats. But by our own Republican supermajority.
That's where we're at as a state. And you know what I keep coming back to? Somebody profits from this. Somebody profits when enforcement is weak and workers are cheap and nobody asks questions. And those somebodies were in that building, quiet and patient and effective, the whole session.
The Idaho Sheriff's Association showed up to help kill the ICE cooperation bill I co-sponsored (and there were several more bills they testified AGAINST). I saw committee chairmen make bills disappear into their desks. And I watched every single bill we had die or got no hearing. Yes, in "Republican Idaho." So while most legislators from safe Republican districts will send you an end-of-session letter that lists all the wins and call it a day...
I'm not going to do that.
You're getting this letter because you deserve to know what the cheap labor lobby still has on the Idaho statehouse. Their stranglehold didn't loosen this session (if anything, now I know exactly how tight it is).
What you get from having me in that building is simple.
Someone who names it. Someone whose name is actually on the enforcement bills (not just the press releases). And someone who isn't going to tell you we had a "great session" when the most important lever we had didn't get pulled.
That's the report from Boise.
P.S. Most people in Idaho have no idea any of this happened. You do now. That matters more than you think.
Hey there,
As your Senator from Nampa, I'm thrilled to report that the 2025 legislative session was a roaring success for making Idaho great again.
We scored massive America/Idaho First wins, and I had an absolute blast fighting for the conservative values District 13 holds dear. So here's the high-level scoop on some of our victories—and a bit of bad news we'll crush next time.
First, the bad...
Illegal immigration remains a thorn in our side...
Needless to say, there's A LOT of work to be done here.
Now, to the good...
We passed H93, a school choice tax credit, empowering parents over bureaucrats.
And we passed a bill saying parents now have to opt in to sex ed, not opt out (H239)... common sense, right?
I co-sponsored a bill preventing the type of indecent exposure we saw at "Nampa PRIDE" last year (H270) which was signed into law.
We passed a bill to keep men out of women's locker rooms (H264), mandated the death penalty for pedophiles (H380) by firing squad (H37), no less.
I'm also proud to say that health freedom soared...
And that's just the tip of the iceberg!
We also...
But wait, there's more!
My bill combating lawfare and protecting free speech (S1001) was signed into law, we slashed $400 million-plus in taxes, raised the grocery tax credit so you get to keep more of your money (H231), and deleted heaps of pages of outdated codes and regs.
I also sponsored several transparency and accountability bills (H312, H215, H222, H113, H358) to keep the government lean and mean.
This session mirrored the America First and MAHA movements as we saw many big wins for liberty, family, and Idaho values.
There's more to do, but I'm proud of what we achieved. I had a blast making Idaho a better place to live, work, and raise a family and I hope you're as fired up as I am.
P.S. We also KILLED DEI DEAD (SB 1198)! No more DEI forced down student's throats in Idaho higher education going forward!
P.P.S. We passed the Medical Freedom Act (SB 1210a) in the last minute of the last day! This bill protects everyone in Idaho (both the public and private sector) from forced medical mandates. What a year!
P.P.P.S. There's also A LOT more we did so please reach out with any questions, etc.
Some of these reporters like me. Most of them don't. Read them all and decide for yourself.
The cheap labor lobby has deep pockets. I've got you.
Make checks payable to:
Brian Lenney for Idaho
Got something to say? Good. I'd rather hear it from you than from a lobbyist.