The Senate has voted 29-5 in favor of HB 630, legislation to expand the current tax credit for donations to Idaho Public Television, schools and libraries. The measure, backed by Gov. Butch Otter, would increase the exemption for five years and also add additional state…
Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, contends that the public school budget now moving through the Legislature - and likely to come up for debate in the full House today - violates legislative rules because its fiscal note doesn't reflect the impact on local school districts that…
Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, tried a last-minute motion to take $35,150,000 from $71 million in Millenium Funds now being held in case federal Medicaid match rates drop - which now appears unlikely - and, if they're not needed for Medicaid, route them into several holes…
JFAC has adopted the "intent language" section for the Department of Administration budget that extends the waiting period for health coverage for new state employees from 30 days to 90 days. Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said, "Given the circumstances of this budget year, we felt…
The budget for the state Department of Administration - including IEN funding - has passed JFAC on an 18-2 vote, with just Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, and Rep. Janice McGeachin, R-Idaho Falls, voting no. In the end, Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, who had expressed grave…
As part of its consideration of funding for the next stage of the Idaho Education Network, JFAC is looking at introducing a bill this morning - which then would be referred to a germane committee - to change the oversight of the project from the…
Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, said she has a "concern that things that have been put into motion perhaps improperly will just continue in motion" if JFAC approves the full $3 million in spending authority for the next stage of the Idaho Education Network. Rep. Fred…
Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, has made the motion for the Department of Administration's budget for next year, for a $6.9 million in state general funds and $60 million in total funds. It includes spending authority for the $3 million in Albertson Foundation donations for the…
JFAC has now voted unanimously to adopt a fiscal year 2010 year-end contingency plan, offering tools to Gov. Butch Otter if state revenues continue to slide this year. The budget was set on the estimate that revenues this year would fall 7.5 percent below last…
Also in the budget proposal for the Department of Administration that JFAC will vote on this morning are directions to the department on state employee health insurance plans, including specifying that benefits won't be cut or costs to employees increased as a result of the…
For the state Department of Administration, legislative budget analyst Joe Austin went over a budget proposal developed by Sens. Cameron and Mortimer and Reps. Bell, Ringo and Jaquet that calls for a general-fund cut of 7.6 percent, and an overall reduction of 0.7 percent. It…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is gathering for what's likely its final early-morning workshop meeting of the session today, in advance of its 8 a.m. meeting to set the budget for the state Department of Administration and to adopt a "contingency plan" for if revenues still…
The Senate has voted 27-6 in favor of HB 496, House-passed legislation from Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, to require voters to show a photo I.D. card in order to vote, or sign an affidavit. "You can't drive, you can't cash anything, you can't virtually function…
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna issued the following statement on Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's Idaho Supreme Court filing today challenging the Land Board's decision on cabin-site rents: “I question why the Attorney General is spending precious taxpayer dollars on this lawsuit rather than bringing…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Sen. Tim Corder's push to revamp laws governing big swine and poultry farms has been called the "ham and eggs bill." And its goose is now cooked: The measure, SB 1411a, won't get…
Rep. Phil Hart's proposal to create an official Idaho silver medallion that Idahoans could use to pay their state taxes was killed on a 7-2 vote in the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee this afternoon. The bill, HB 633, also would have granted big…
The House has voted 38-30 in favor of HB 701, the Medicaid budget, after intense debate.Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, lead sponsor of the bill, said, "We find ourselves in truly extraordinary times, and I'm as uncomfortable with this budget as anybody in this room, because…
Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, who chaired the Land Board subcommittee that developed the rent proposal for state-owned cabin sites that Attorney General Lawrence Wasden is now challenging in the Idaho Supreme Court, said he was disappointed at the legal challenge, which he said…
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has filed a legal challenge with the Idaho Supreme Court over new lease rules for state-owned cabin sites - including rent increases - approved this month by the Idaho Land Board, contending the rental rates aren't high enough to bring…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An animal cruelty bill that cleared the Senate 34-1 has been put down by a House committee leader who says there isn't sufficient time to fix it. The measure makes running a cockfighting…
The House has voted 67-1 to suspend its rules to allow immediate consideration of HB 701, the Medicaid budget. Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, cast the only vote against suspending the rules. The House then went at ease to allow both parties to go into caucus;…
The House has voted 44-23 in favor of HB 590, legislation from Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, that would let county commissioners in any county take over the issuing of permits for residential septic systems from their local health district. Several House members questioned why the…
Surprisingly, there was no debate at all in the Senate on the GARVEE bonding bill, SB 1427, which calls for just $12 million more in Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle bonding next year. It'd almost all go to right-of-way acquisition for a project on State Highway…
The Senate has voted unanimously, without debate, in favor of SB 1426, the Idaho Transportation Department budget. Next up: The GARVEE bonding bill, SB 1427.
The Senate has voted 26-9 in favor of SB 1419, the budget bill for state colleges and universities for next year - which reflects a 14.1 percent cut in state general funds and a 7.8 percent overall cut. Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, said if…