The Senate is in its 14th Order, debating possible amendments to HB 81, the grocery tax credit increase bill. Five possible amendments were filed, but Sen. David Langhorst, D-Boise, withdrew one as the debate began, saying, “We have worked to achieve a compromise.”The amendments range…
Idaho State University is asking for $5 million for a project in Meridian, where the university wants to buy and renovate part of the former Jabil Circuits plant, which is now owned by the Meridian School District. Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, said the facility would…
Legislation from Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, to force counties to return surplus proceeds to owners when it auctions off properties for unpaid taxes died in a Senate committee on Wednesday, after earlier passing the House 43-26. Read Parker Howell’s full story here in today’s Spokesman-Review.
The Idaho Senate has voted 20-15 in favor of SB 1172, declaring English to be the official language of the state of Idaho, in a debate that took a personal turn. “It’s not for shutting people out, but bringing people in,” Sen. Mel Richardson, R-Idaho…
The House Revenue & Taxation Committee, after hearings that stretched for two days, has voted 11-7 against legislation to allow a local option sales tax to fund public transit, reports S-R reporter Parker Howell. The bill was heavily backed by Treasure Valley interests, because the…
Rep. Scott Bedke was telling the Idaho Press Club a story about how well lawmakers and Gov. Butch Otter get along, by remembering a time several found the governor in his office in the early morning and came in to visit. “We went in and…
House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, and Senate President Pro Tem Bob Geddes, R-Soda Springs, announced today that they’ll be introducing legislation later this week to set up an “alternative teacher compensation model” in Idaho, though they won’t push for the bill to pass…
It seems that no legislative session goes by without the creation of at least one more special license plate. Today, the Senate voted 24-11 for a new “Support Our Troops” plate to benefit Support Our Troops Inc., a charitable organization that’s organized in all 50…
Jeff Siddoway sells hunting trips for "monster elk" on his private eastern Idaho ranch. He's also a Republican state senator, reports AP reporter John Miller. So when Siddoway helped kill a bill to outlaw "shooter-bull" operations – there are 17 in Idaho, including his –…
The Idaho Supreme Court has issued its long-awaited water ruling, and it reversed the lower court, which had declared unconstitutional Idaho’s rules for “conjunctive management” of surface and groundwater. Instead, the high court upheld those rules, plus settled various related questions. “The resolution of those…
House pages have decided to officially move St. Patrick’s Day from its usual March 17th date, which falls on a Saturday this year, to Friday the 16th – at least for the House. House members were just warned that members who don’t wear green on…
The Idaho House has just wrapped up a rambling debate and killed HCR 18 on early learning standards. Check out this report from S-R reporter Parker Howell:The House rejected a nonbinding resolution asking state agencies to develop learning standards for young children and to create…
It was looking like two major issues – amendments to the grocery tax credit bill in the Senate, and debate on a big property tax break for business in the House – were shaping up to happen at the same time today, but now neither…
Why is it that the governor’s scholarship endowment bill, HB 217, has been pulled back to committee? House Education Committee Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, said he pulled the $38 million scholarship bill back to his committee yesterday because of concerns that the amount may…
The House was clicking through the bills on its agenda so quickly this afternoon that it came right up to HB 245, major legislation to phase in a $100 million tax break for business over the next eight years at the urging of the Idaho…
Of all the weighty matters on the JFAC agenda for budget-setting this morning, the biggest crowd was drawn by a $10 million proposal for a new dairy research lab in the Magic Valley for the University of Idaho. The plan, proposed by Gov. Butch Otter,…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has voted unanimously to approve 5 percent, across-the-board pay hikes for the commissioners who serve on the Industrial Commission, Tax Commission and Public Utilities Commission. That would take industrial commissioners’ salaries from $82,951 to $87,099; tax commissioners from $79,009 to $82,959;…
The same day that five Idaho children died in a teen-driven car, a state Senate committee gave its blessing to a bill to restrict teen drivers, reports S-R reporter Parker Howell. Among other things, the bill proposed by two Panhandle lawmakers would limit drivers younger…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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