Gov. Butch Otter, in a guest opinion distributed to Idaho media today, blasts unnamed "newspaper columnists" for allegedly twisting facts in reporting on his budget proposals this year. "There was a time when most newspaper columnists at least paid lip service to the good intentions…
Here’s a link to the sixth week of Idaho’s legislative session in pictures, as a slide show. Let your cursor hover over the bottom part of the picture frame, and the captions will appear as the slide show plays. Tonight, on Idaho Public Television’s “Idaho…
The Idaho AARP is speaking out vehemently against HCR 42, the bill that passed the House today to block a scheduled 1 percent cost of living increase for state retirees next month. “This legislation says the state of Idaho does not value its retirees –…
Here's a news item from The Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Republican lawmaker is making another run at revamping how Idaho draws up election boundaries every 10 years. Rep. Tom Loertscher's bill, introduced in the House State Affairs Committee Friday, would let the…
HCR 42 arrived in the Senate, and the Senate went at ease and milled around for a long period of time. Senators were in various huddles, and it wasn't clear what was happening. Then, just now, the Senate reconvened, and the Senate read HCR 42…
It turns out that Democrats won't be able to bring HCR 42 back for reconsideration in the House, because the speaker ruled that under House Rule 40, though serving notice to reconsider normally would mean reconsideration could be taken up the next legislative day, if…
The House has voted 48-19 in favor of HCR 42, the bill to block a 1 percent cost of living increase for state retirees next month. It wasn't a straight party-line vote. Two Republicans, Reps. Bob Schaefer, R-Nampa, and Tom Trail, R-Moscow, voted against the…
The debate is hot and heavy in the House on HCR 42, the measure to block a scheduled 1 percent cost of living increase for state retirees next month. So far, Democrats are debating against the measure, and Republicans in favor of it. "The issue…
The full House has suspended its rules and is now considering HCR 42, the bill to block a scheduled 1 percent cost-of-living increase for state retirees. The bill just emerged from the State Affairs Committee yesterday on a party-line vote, after being killed overwhelmingly in…
Gov. Butch Otter has issued a statement applauding JFAC for its decisions on balancing the current year's state budget and protecting public schools from any mid-year cut this year. "The JFAC plan is an appropriate response to the latest economic news," Otter said in the…
Cathy Holland-Smith, legislative budget director, told JFAC her staff is distributing its first general fund budget update, showing the impact of budget decisions the joint committee just has made. "It does reflect very, very difficult choices, but at this point the budget for 2010 is…
JFAC has just finished working through a series of decisions on items that affect every agency budget for the fiscal year 2011, which will then be included as each agency's budget is set. Among the items: A plan worked up by the JFAC co-chairs that…
The fourth motion, to transfer $33.3 million from the budget stabilization fund to the general fund, also passed unanimously, this time on a 19-0 vote.
The third motion, to make the first of two transfers from reserve funds to balance this year's budget - $20 million from the Economic Recovery Reserve Fund - has passed unanimously, 18-0. Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, stepped out and missed the vote.
The second motion in JFAC this morning, from Co-Chair Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, has passed on a unanimous, 19-0 vote. "This motion restores the money to public schools that was taken in the previous motion," said Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert. "It is totally restored,…
The first motion has passed JFAC on a party-line vote, 15-4, to cut $188.75 million out of the current year's budget. The committee's four Democrats voted no. "The bottom line is so much lower than the governor's proposal," said Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum. "It does…
As JFAC prepares for momentous decisions this morning - how to balance the current year's budget with $69 million less than the state thought it had as of the governor's State of the State address in January - the scale of the cuts is starting…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
