The Senate Democratic Caucus met today and elected Sen. Kate Kelly, D-Boise, as minority leader, Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, as assistant minority leader and Sen. Les Bock, D-Boise, as minority caucus chair. Kelly had been serving as acting minority leader while Minority Leader Clint Stennett,…
New Lt. Gov. Brad Little said last week on statewide TV that state legislators don't typically collect campaign donations during the legislative session, a practice some lawmakers are discussing banning, as many states do. He said such fundraising is frowned upon. But now Little himself…
Under the reorganization plan being pushed by Gov. Butch Otter and endorsed this week by the state Board of Education, various duties the board has had will be siphoned off to an array of other agencies, freeing the board to focus on policy. Among the…
North Idaho College, which had its budget hearing before JFAC this morning, had been hoping for $605,100 next year to start up a much-needed dental hygienist program in partnership with a local free clinic, and $334,500 for the first year of a two-year campus technology…
The Senate State Affairs Committee has voted unanimously, with no dissent and no discussion, to endorse HCR 6, the measure that earlier unanimously passed the House to reject any raises for lawmakers this year. "This is not something that I relish doing, although I think…
The Senate Health & Welfare Committee has voted unanimously to repeal Idaho's naturopath licensing law, which has gotten bogged down in conflict between two competing groups of naturopaths who differed on suitable qualifications. The licensing law lets licensed naturopaths write prescriptions and perform minor surgery.…
When economic times are bad, many who wouldn't otherwise head back to school, seeking new job skills or new careers. "Enrollment is up," North Idaho College Vice President John Martin told the Senate Education Committee this afternoon. "It's not surprising - when the economy is…
Small businesses whose personal property would be exempt from taxation under legislation that passed last year would be freed from having to file inventories of that property, under legislation introduced today. The Associated Press reports that the new bill from Rep. Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls,…
It's something of a mob scene in the Capitol Annex today, as school trustees from across the state hold their "day on the hill" to talk with legislators. Larry Brown, right, chairman of the Lakeland School District board, said, "We're wrangling for schools. ... We're…
Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, co-chairwoman of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, had this response to Rep. Cliff Bayer's earlier question about whether it's time to cut faculty salaries at Idaho's state colleges and universities. "For one thing, that isn't our place to begin with - we…
Rep. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, just asked Mike Rush, director of the Office of the State Board of Education, if perhaps faculty salaries were a place to cut at universities. "Do you sense any flexibility or any interest in addressing, if push comes to shove, faculty…
Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, asked Idaho State University President Arthur Vailas if perhaps he should consider charging differential tuition - higher for high-cost programs, perhaps, that also set students up to earn big incomes once they've completed them. "Perhaps we should look at some…
Here’s how far budget cuts are going at Boise State University, BSU President Bob Kustra told legislative budget writers this morning: “We’ve re-examined how often our wastebaskets need to be emptied - you name it and we’ve tried to figure out ways to reduce expenditures.”…
“We’re very excited about a number, and there aren’t many good numbers to get excited about these days,” BSU President Bob Kustra told legislative budget writers this morning. So far, in the third quarter of this fiscal year, he said, research grants at Boise State…
Thanks to a public records request filed by Idaho Statesman reporter Dan Popkey, we now know what the missing words from Gov. Butch Otter’s State of the State message were, that he had removed in his final draft. Popkey reported in the Idaho Statesman today…
The state Board of Education met today and voted to back an increase in WWAMI medical school seats for Idaho from 20 to 40, at a rate of increase of 10 a year. WWAMI is a collaboration that allows students from Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and…
The Twin Falls Times-News reports that a fight may be brewing over the startup of the Idaho Education Network, a $50 million statewide broadband network to serve local schools. Lawmakers unanimously approved the concept last year, but haven't yet approved funding, but state Department of…
House Transportation Committee members are still weighing the findings of the big performance audit of the Idaho Transportation Department, and how to respond to them. "If we all agree that ITD needs more money, there's no way we can put off doing that," Rep. Scott…
There's a near-capacity crowd at the somber hearing this afternoon in the House Health & Welfare Committee, even though the most controversial of the rule changes being considered there already has won approval from the Senate Health & Welfare Committee; rules stand unless they're rejected…
Here's a sign of the times: Legislation that makes a one-word change in the law regarding annual adjustments in the homeowner's exemption from property tax won unanimous approval in the House today. The reason for the change? As House Tax Chairman Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, explained…
Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, announced today that he won't be able to return before the end of the legislative session this year. Stennett, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, said it was "very disheartening to not participate this session." Though his prognosis…
Of the 41 undergraduate and graduate degree programs that the University of Idaho is proposing eliminating, few are popular, acting UI President Steven Daley-Laursen told JFAC this morning. "We have only 55 applications now on the table for entrance of new students," between the 41…
Milford Terrell, president of the state Board of Education, told legislative budget writers this morning, "We all are quite well aware of the economic times in which we live. I don’t need to remind you folks here in this committee of how difficult it is…
Here's a link to the latest episode of Idaho Reports, and also to the "after the show" online discussion in which I join Lt. Gov. Brad Little, BSU political scientist emeritus Jim Weatherby, AP reporter John Miller and host Thanh Tan to discuss the goings-on…
Kelly Buckland, executive director of the Idaho State Independent Living Council, has become a well-known presence in the Statehouse for the past 14 years, lobbying for the rights of individuals with disabilities. But this is his last legislative session - in May, he'll start a…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| Jan. 2009 | ||||
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 |
| 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| 12 | 11 | 09 | 08 | 07 |
| 06 | 05 | 04 | 03 | 02 |
