Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, had this to say about the late-session clashes between the House, the Senate and the governor, including the House plan to unilaterally adjourn Wednesday: "It's the political process. I think we get better results because we occasionally lock horns and wrestle…
The senior Bob Geddes, who is filling in this week for his son, Senate President Pro-tem Bob Geddes, was serving in the House back in 1980, the last time one house - in that case, the Senate - tried to adjourn unilaterally. "They did go…
House GOP leaders told reporters late today that they'll make one more run at settling the transportation issue with Senate leaders and the governor in the morning, but all they'll offer is what they've already offered - repeal of an ethanol exemption from the gas…
The House convened, read the new House-only appropriation bills across the desk, and then adjourned until 10:30 tomorrow morning. House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, told the House that leadership will try to meet with Senate leadership again this afternoon, and will try to set…
The Senate has adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow.
The Senate is taking up SB 1232, the new bighorn sheep bill. "It looks like this may be the end of the work that we're able to do today," Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, told the Senate. The bill passed, 26-8.
Just like the one before, the second controversial education bill, HB 262 as amended in the Senate, has won final passage in the House with absolutely no debate. House Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, urged a yes vote. The vote was 46-20. This is…
With absolutely no debate, the House has voted 61-5 in favor of HB 256 as amended in the Senate, giving it final passage and sending it to the governor. That's the controversial education bill regarding funding for student busing.
The House Appropriations Committee has voted 9-0 in favor of introducing 14 new appropriation bills, 12 of them identical to those already introduced this morning in JFAC but sent to the Senate, and two identical to two others on which the Senate has not yet…
The House Appropriations Committee - the House half of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee - has now scheduled a meeting for 1:15 p.m., after the House goes back on the floor at 1. On the agenda: Introducing 12 new budget bills that apparently will be identical…
After their closed-door caucus, Senate Republicans emerged saying they're just trying to figure out what to do, with the House bent on adjourning tomorrow. "We believe the House is likely to sine die and then be back in three days," said Senate GOP Caucus Chairman…
Though then-House Speaker Bruce Newcomb threatened in 2003 to adjourn the House sine die in the midst of a House-Senate battle over how to balance the state's budget, he didn't follow through on that threat that year, during the state's longest-ever legislative session. The last…
The Senate has gone at ease for caucuses for both parties. The Republican will meet behind closed doors; the Democrats will hold an open caucus.
The Senate has sent HB 303a, one of the education bills at issue in the current dustup between the House and Senate, to its 14th Order for possible amendment. Then, the Senate moved on to amend SB 1232, the bighorn sheep bill, as proposed by…
The House convened this morning, then recessed until 1 p.m., when Majority Leader Mike Moyle said it'll read the bills introduced in JFAC this morning and others.
The House Education Committee has voted 11-6 in favor of HB 339, the new bill from Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, that directly contradicts the action JFAC took this morning on school funding, and also makes other school funding changes. "We're just trying to…
Here's a downside of the legislative session going so long: The already-passed HB 252, which allows school districts to declare financial emergencies, has passed and been signed into law, but it set a specific, 67-day time frame after the state's school budget is set, though…
In JFAC this morning, Rep. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, moved to fund busing for school field trips and other transportation changes from Senate amendments to HB 256a by taking the money, $4.2 million, from textbook funds. "We can bridge a year with a more modest budget"…
Even as the House Education Committee is meeting downstairs to hear a new version of education legislation, JFAC is meeting this morning to fund the already-passed bills, as amended in the Senate, which include doing away with the phase-out of an early retirement incentive program…
JFAC has voted to introduce new versions of all 25 vetoed budget bills. The motion, by Co-Chairwoman Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, seconded by Vice Chairwoman Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, passed unanimously, 18-0, with no discussion.
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
