Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, told Gov. Butch Otter's budget chief, Wayne Hammon, that "some of us have a more pessimistic view" than the adminstration on how state revenues will fare, and said he hopes the governor will work with them. Hammon responded that the governor's…
The generally friendly Wayne Hammon, Gov. Butch Otter's budget chief, delivered a threat from the governor to lawmakers as he was detailing the governor's budget proposal this morning: Otter opposes a $142,000 appropriation to the Legislative Council for laptop computers for the legislative branch -…
Gov. Butch Otter's Division of Financial Management is forecasting that state tax revenues for the current year, fiscal year 2009, will come in 9.5 percent down from the previous year. Then, from that lowered level, DFM is predicting a 1 percent growth in revenue the…
Here's a link to my full story in today's Spokesman-Review on Gov. Butch Otter's State of the State message, with its historic proposal for a cut in public school funding. This morning, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is holding its first meeting, and will examine the…
Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, has won former Sen. Brad Little's leadership post as Senate majority caucus chairman, in a two-way race against Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls. "It's always an honor when your peers choose you, so I'm very honored," Fulcher said. "However, the attitude…
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna said after Gov. Otter's State of the State message, "There's no doubt that education is going to receive less money than they got this year. No one is happy about that, but it's the situation that we're in." Asked…
As Gov. Butch Otter left his State of the State speech, after talking with the media, he got into an impromptu debate with House Democratic leaders over his budget proposal. First, House Assistant Minority Leader James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, said with Idaho families struggling, "This is…
A few observations about the governor's speech: It was a somber speech, rarely interrupted by applause (only five times in the 45-minute speech). And the venue forced a rather unusual atmosphere at the after-speech scrum, when Otter usually is surrounded by reporters and TV cameras…
The governor closed his State of the State speech with an unscripted moment, recalling a mother of an autistic child who came to one of his Capitol for a Day meetings in despair over state cuts in her child's treatment hours. Otter said he was…
Gov. Butch Otter told lawmakers, "I know that you share my administration's goals of promoting responsible government, enhancing economic opportunity, and empowering Idahoans. I know that you are as devoted as I am to advancing those goals decisively - with certainty - but also with…
The upcoming Special Olympics in Idaho "will include more athletes and participating nations than the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City," Gov. Otter just told lawmakers. "The World Winter Games will be the largest multi-day winter sporting event ever held in our state." The…
While touting a program pushed by a committee of health care experts he appointed to offer affordable private-sector health insurance plans to Idahoans aged 25 to 40, the group most likely to be uninsured in Idaho, the governor said the committee's chairman, Stephen Weeg, headed…
It won him his third round of applause - Gov. Butch Otter has just proposed a "comprehensive plan for reorganizing our education policy and governance system on the state level." That means, he said, that the State Board of Education should no longer be involved…
"Idaho taxpayers are struggling," the governor said. "And that means we must fulfill our commitment to keep increasing the grocery tax credit."
Gov. Otter said of his transportation proposal, "Six months of listening to the Idahoans who hired us tells me that this conservative, measured and phased-in approach will work. ... I can tell you that we are shirking our responsibility and ignoring the facts if we…
Idaho's governor is proposing a 2-cent per gallon increase in the state's fuel tax each year for five years, resulting in a 10-cent increase in the tax in five years to 35 cents per gallon. The first year, that'd bring in about $17.6 million. After…
Gov. Otter told lawmakers that his transportation proposal "boils down to three points": Accountability and efficiency, generating new revenue, and a task force to study inequities in Idaho's truck registration system. "No amount of efficiency - however important - will make up for the hard…
Gov. Butch Otter noted, "The $1 billion, 425 million I'm proposing for K-12 education next year still represents almost half our total general fund budget. And the fact is that my proposed public schools budget is reduced FAR less than I'm recommending for other state…
Here's Otter's big news in his State of the State and budget speech: "I'm calling for a reduction in total General Fund spending of more than 7 percent from what initially was approved for Fiscal 2009. That reflects a realistic and thorough assessment of our…
The governor's first line to draw applause in his State of the State speech: "It is my intent to continue an unrelenting scrutiny of state government programs that use Idahoans' hard-earned dollars."
"There is no doubt that our nation is going through troubled times," Gov. Butch Otter told state lawmakers just now as he began his State of the State message. "But I firmly believe that Idaho can provide leadership for an anxious nation - to be…
The statewide elected officials, state Supreme Court justices and other dignitaries have been escorted in, and the joint session of the Idaho Legislature has been convened to hear Gov. Otter's message. Please note: The time stamps on these posts is in Pacific time, but the…
Senators have filed in to join the members of the House in the BSU Special Events Center, where Gov. Butch Otter will soon give his State of the State message to a joint session of the Legislature. While the state Capitol is being renovated, there's…
The gavels have fallen, and both the House and Senate have begun their annual sessions. A few House members had some glitches figuring out their voting equipment, and when a committee of senators returned from the House to formally report on its status, Sen. John…
Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, will stay home the first week of the legislative session because her husband, Mike, had a heart attack Friday night. "The good news is he's doing very well, and we were able to get to the hospital in time," she reported…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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