House Speaker Lawerence Denney says things aren't as off-track for ending the legislative session as they may seem. "Actually, I think we're doing pretty well," he told Eye on Boise. "JFAC still has one more big battle with personnel costs." The joint budget committee will…
Rep. Marge Chadderdon, R-Coeur d'Alene, says she's got a new version of her flag bill in the works, after problems cropped up with amendments already made to the bill. Chadderdon originally sought to prohibit state or local agencies in Idaho from buying any U.S. or…
Jan Eyth has been the supervisor of the legislative advisers, the lobbyists who use the legislative advisers' room in the Statehouse and check in with her for messages and such, for the past 25 years. Today, the lobbyists threw her a surprise 80th birthday party,…
The House has decided not to take up any bills this morning, with so many of its members gone for the funeral in Pocatello today of Brenda Malepeai, the late wife of Sen. Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello. House GOP Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, said leadership…
Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick has named Pocatello City Councilman and state women's prison warden Brian Underwood as the nominee to be the next U.S. Marshal for Idaho. “He is bright, talented, and recommended by people I know and trust from across the political spectrum," Minnick…
The collection of "Lost and Found" items at the information desk in the Capitol Annex has included various items all session, like a broken umbrella, a set of car keys, etc. It's been growing, however. And today, the collection includes, among other items, a tie,…
Bob Hoover, president of the College of Idaho in Caldwell and former University of Idaho president, has been named the new CEO of the Idaho Community Foundation, a position he'll start in mid-July. Alice Hennessey will continue as interim president and CEO of the statewide…
Here's a link to the 12th week of the Legislature in photos as a slide show. It was another week of grappling, without resolution, with big issues like state employee pay cuts and transportation funding. This photo shows House GOP caucus members just after the…
Sun Valley Mayor Wayne Willich disputed an earlier account on this blog that suggested he had grabbed a reporter's arm during a tiff after a legislative committee hearing today, saying, "I didn't touch anybody. That actually would be a very low-I.Q. thing to do, and…
Gov. Butch Otter, who is interviewed along with Lt. Gov. Brad Little on tonight's "Idaho Reports" program on Idaho Public TV, says during the interview that he sees legislation that would allow him to fire the Idaho Transportation Department's director as "problematic." "I didn't ask…
Idaho House members threatened to kill funding for implementing the new Coeur d’Alene Lake Management Plan today, causing a delay in voting on the budget bill for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, told the House he thought the management…
Legislation to sell commemorative gold medallions to benefit the state highway account has passed the House on a 44-19 vote. "We should be creative and industrious and proactive and bold, and we should have tools like this in our toolbox ... to address highway funding,"…
Rep. Marge Chadderdon's flag-manufacturing bill, HB 249, was up in the House this morning, but when it came time, members of leadership from both sides and Rep. Chadderdon, R-Coeur d'Alene, were called up to the speaker's desk, and a rather long confab followed, while House…
The House has voted 32-32 on HB 263, Rep. Phil Hart's bill to move the state toward constructing and compiling a searchable database of all the state's spending and putting it online. "It is part of our public policy that we do provide this transparency,"…
After a long and bitter hearing that pitted some Sun Valley city council members against others and ultimately resulted in the Senate State Affairs Committee killing a bill brought by a temporary senator who's a former mayor of Sun Valley, the general manager of the…
As Idaho's legislative session dragged through its 81st day Thursday, legislative reporters have donned the traditional ugly ties that signify it's been long enough. Tradition has it that once reporters have decided it's time for the session to end, by sporting hideous neckwear they can…
Gov. Butch Otter sent a memo to all state employees today declaring that he doesn't support across-the-board pay cuts, and instead believes "managers should be allowed to manage" to determine how personnel funding cuts should affect their individual agencies. Click below to read the governor's…
The day-care licensing bill has cleared the House Health & Welfare Committee on a unanimous vote, but only with extensive amendments attached - including requiring licensing only for day cares with seven or more unrelated children, while still requiring criminal background checks for those with…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney has gotten legislation introduced on a 4-3 party-line vote in the House Ways & Means Committee to require a photo I.D. both to vote and to register to vote, and eliminate mail-in voter registration. "This is a piece of legislation that…
A three-mile stretch at the south end of the Garwood-to-Sagle project on U.S. Highway 95 in North Idaho would be eligible to be added to the bond-funded project, under legislation introduced by the House Ways & Means Committee today at the request of Rep. Frank…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, said the House decided to go ahead and pass its first budget bill today after all, in part because, "We just wanted to have one sent over to the Senate, and besides, that debate was already open on that bill."…
The House has voted 41-15 in favor, with 14 absent, of HB 268, the first budget bill they've taken up. It's the budget for the legislative council. There was no debate. "I just think this is an appropriate way to go with this particular bill,"…
House Republicans have finished a caucus that went for more than two hours, but emerged with no particular agreement on the issue of state employee pay cuts and the budget. They didn't get to transportation, said Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly. "We're still trying to…
House Democrats finished their caucus more than half an hour ago, but Republicans are still going behind closed doors. House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, just knocked on the door of the GOP caucus and conferred with Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, who said the…
The Idaho Senate has voted unanimously 34-0, in favor of SB 1156, the bipartisan legislation to expand Idaho's Sunshine Law to add personal financial disclosure requirements for elected officials and candidates. Idaho is currently one of just three states with no such requirements. Senate Majority…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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