Freshman Rep. Steve Hartgen's controversial Internet harassment bill is dead for the session; it was on the House Judiciary Committee's agenda this afternoon, but was withdrawn at the sponsor's request. "I got a lot of very positive comments on the concept, but there were questions…
Gov. Butch Otter says there's still time for lawmakers to pass a transportation tax increase this year, and he's holding out hope that around $150 million of his proposed increases will be approved by the Legislature, the AP reports. So far, two of the six…
Here’s a news item from AP: “A lobbyist recently named to a panel that will help the governor decide how to use Idaho's share of federal stimulus money just got paid to kill one of the governor's own highway construction funding bills. Mike Brassey, a…
GOP state schools Supt. Tom Luna says he was among those who opposed passage of the huge federal stimulus package, but, “I’m also very pragmatic when it comes to the stimulus dollars. … The fact is, this is a bill and the money’s coming," he…
Defending his proposal to cut $62 million from schools next year rather than dip into the state’s $114 million public education stabilization fund, State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna told lawmakers this morning, “Let me give you the Thelma and Louise scenario – this is…
Mike Rush, director of the Office of the State Board of Education, says rather than “stimulus package,” he likes to refer to the federal bill as “the stem-the-bleeding package.” He told JFAC this morning, “We think it will act much like a Band-Aid does –…
Gov. Butch Otter will release the first – long – list of stimulus funding requests he’s received this afternoon at 4. Otter’s press secretary, Jon Hanian, said today’s list will be just the request from non-governmental organizations; those from government agencies will follow on Tuesday.…
Here's a news item from AP: "Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's plan to add a 6 percent tax on rental cars died Wednesday, after the industry argued new costs would hurt agencies already being buffeted by the worst economy in decades. The House Transportation Committee ditched…
Today marked the first time - in five straight years of trying - that the day care licensing bill has made it out of committee and to the full chamber in either house. "That's a breakthough of sorts," said Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d'Alene. The…
Minimum licensing standards for small day care centers in Idaho survived a Senate committee hearing Wednesday and headed for debate in the full Senate. The sponsors are offering several minor amendments; one restores a word inadvertently left out from the National Rifle Association's suggested wording…
As the hearing on SB 1112, the day care licensing law, gets under way this afternoon in the Senate Health & Welfare Committee, the room is full and everyone's paying close attention. It's the fifth year in a row such a measure has been proposed.…
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna has released his recommendation to Gov. Butch Otter for spending federal stimulus money on education; you can read it here. Luna's conclusion is that Idaho still must cut education next year. Here's the lead-in to his executive summary:"The State…
There was quite the interesting exchange in the Senate today between Sens. Brent Hill and Dean Cameron - the Senate's tax and finance chairmen, respectively - over the twice-amended HB 64, the IRS conformity bill for 2008. It earlier passed the House overwhelmingly, then the…
The threat to Idaho from invasive zebra and quagga mussels is so great, according to Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, that Idaho needs to enact emergency legislation right away to make every boat owner in the state purchase a sticker that'd help fund wash stations…
House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher this morning asked his committee to introduce his bill to excuse pharmacists and pharmacies from any liability if they refuse to fill a prescription based on their conscience. Rep. Elfreda Higgins, D-Boise, noted that the bill covers any…
Rep. Judy Boyle's bill this morning - listed on the House State Affairs Committee agenda as being about "early termination of pregnancy" - turned out not to be about abortion after all. Instead, Boyle asked the committee to introduce a measure allowing mothers who miscarry…
Idaho Transportation Director Pam Lowe is briefing JFAC this morning on the ITD board's stimulus recommendations, adopted in a special meeting yesterday. "The board directed staff in January to get eight projects ready to go, and we've been doing that," she said. With Idaho's focus…
When ITD first came up with the list of eight major highway projects around the state to recommend for stimulus funding, it added up to $182 million - the total amount Idaho's going to receive, including money for local highway district projects. But now the…
The list is now final: The Idaho Transportation Board has approved $28 million in local highway projects to be targeted with federal economic stimulus funds, and $149.9 million in state highway projects, including the Dover Bridge, the Vista Interchange, and six other projects around the…
The Idaho Transportation Board has just begun a special meeting to decide what to recommend as far as applying for stimulus funds for transportation in Idaho, now that the final information is available as to what will qualify. Dave Amick, manager of ITD's office of…
The Senate had earlier amended HB 64, the IRS conformity bill for 2008, to take out a clause that would cost the state $2 million, to match up Idaho's state income tax code to a one-year change Congress imposed last year to grant a tax…
For more than a century, the University of Idaho hasn't been able to charge "tuition" to its students - but like other Idaho institutions of higher learning, it's increasingly charged "fees" instead. In 2005, the Legislature cleared other state universities to charge tuition - fees…
Rep. Ken Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs, had a unique reason for opposing the election consolidation bill in the House State Affairs Committee this morning: He doesn't want more people to vote. "Having run in two school board trustee elections," he said, "I don't want somebody…
HB 201 has passed the House State Affairs Committee on a 14-4 vote, and now moves to the full House. Here's the vote:Voting in favor: Reps. Loertscher, Anderson, Stevenson, Black, Bilbao, Labrador, Luker, Crane, Mathews, Kren, Palmer, Simpson, M. Shepherd, and King.Voting against: Reps. Andrus,…
Karen Echeverria, executive director of the Idaho School Boards Association, said school boards have agreed to the four consolidated election dates in HB 201, but they're concerned that the funding in the bill isn't adequate. If school boards opted to hold bond or levy elections…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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