Rep. Wendy Jaquet said Hart can talk to the speaker and his fellow committee members any time. "I don't think the people would be very satisfied with that answer," she said. Chairman Tom Loertscher said, "If he chooses not to resign (from the House Rev…
Rep. Phil Hart is refusing to resign from the House Rev & Tax Committee. "I am authorized on behalf of Rep. Hart to state that regardless of which direction the vote of the Ethics Committee goes, he will speak and discuss this issue with the…
The House Ethics Committee is taking a 15-minute recess, at the suggestion of Rep. Dell Raybould, "to see whether or not Rep. Hart would prefer to resign from the Rev and Tax Committee while this process with the Tax Commission is going on, so that…
Rep. Dell Raybould said, "What I think we ought to discuss here today, is whether his membership on the tax committee is a conflict because of his personal issue with the Tax Commission." He said the previous ruling of the committee that Hart didn't have…
Rep. Bill Killen, D-Boise, said if the ethics committee lets Hart slide, it's setting precedent with regard to abuse of legislative privilege. "We're suggesting to future bodies that it's no big deal - I think it is a big deal," he said.
Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said she believe the ethics committee must consider the abuse of privilege issue. "It seemed like basically a smokescreen to again not pay what was due the state," she said. "So even though we don't have any precedent, I think that…
Ethics Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, is arguing that because the Board of Tax Appeals didn't rule on whether the legislative privilege from civil process applies to a lawmaker's personal tax appeal or not - they ruled that even if it did, Hart still exceeded…
Rep. Phil Hart has filed a motion for reconsideration with the state Board of Tax Appeals, Ethics Committee members were informed. Hart last month lost his case there, where he'd tried to get extra time to appeal a state order to pay $53,000 in back…
The House Ethics Committee is gathering for its meeting. Chairman Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, asked about the agenda, said, "We're just going to discuss this last item about this matter and resolve it once and for all, get this behind us so we can move…
The special House Ethics Committee investigating the actions of Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, convenes this afternoon at 2:30 Boise time in the House State Affairs Committee hearing room, East Wing Room 40 in the lower level of the state Capitol, for a telephone conference call…
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred's new TV commercial focuses on education cuts, for which he criticizes Gov. Butch Otter. Here's a look at the claims:CLAIM: In the ad, Allred says, "Butch Otter doesn't do his homework. He botched the budget and cut education 7 percent,…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Grappling with Idaho's $1.7 billion worth of sales tax exemptions is becoming a centerpiece in the 2010 race for governor. U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, a Republican supporter of Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, upped…
In Day 2 of the results of the Idaho Newspapers Poll, Idahoans say they want the sales tax reformed, but they're unclear as to how; they're also very concerned about school funding. You can read a full report here, including reactions from Gov. Butch Otter…
A new study concludes that a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to deter youths from trying methamphetamines has failed to speed up a long-standing decline in the drug's use, the Associated Press reports. Economics researcher D. Mark Anderson of the University of Washington said Tuesday that abuse…
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred has launched his second TV ad of the campaign, focusing on this year's funding cuts to public schools; more on the ad tomorrow; you can watch it here. With TV ads playing such an important messaging role in Idaho's big…
Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, chairman of the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee, said he doesn't see great need to reform Idaho's state Tax Commission. "We tried to address some of the concerns with compromises, and yet these whistleblowers keep claiming there should be no…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho's U.S. senators introduced a measure to lift Endangered Species Act protections from wolves in Idaho and Montana, as well as portions of Washington, Oregon and Utah. The bill Idaho Republicans Mike Crapo…
Idaho's planned cutbacks in Health & Welfare programs have run into a snag - a federal judge has temporarily barred the state from cutting a cash assistance program for some developmentally disabled adults. The recipients, who all function at the level of an 8-year-old or…
Idaho Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, has unveiled sweeping legislation she plans to introduce to reform the state Tax Commission, shifting it from an agency run by four full-time political appointees to one run by a professional director with a part-time commission, and consolidating the revenue…
Seven Idaho daily newspapers, including The Spokesman-Review, have joined together to commission the Idaho Newspapers Poll, a statewide poll of 625 likely Idaho voters taken Sept. 13-15 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C. Today, the first installment of poll results is out in…
Idaho is one of nine states that that would gain state tax revenue if some or all of the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire, according to a new report from Stateline.org. The reason: The nine states collect state taxes based on federal taxable…
GOP congressional hopeful Raul Labrador has been named to "Contender" status in the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" program, the second tier of the three-tier program. "By achieving 'Contender' status, Labrador has already demonstrated his ability to build a successful campaign structure and achieve…
The Daily Kos, a national Democratic liberal/progressive blog, slammed Idaho Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick over the weekend for his latest campaign commercial, which targets GOP challenger Raul Labrador over immigration. "Minnick is up 20 in the polls, while his opponent is broke and has zero…
There was a loud thud against the living room window this morning, startling the cat who was looking out the window, and something large fell outside. Looking out, expecting perhaps a pigeon (it was too big for a quail), we were surprised to find a…
Idaho's state tax revenues surged another $5.7 million over the state's projections in the month of August. When combined with the $4.5 million that state taxes beat projections in July, that puts the state $10.2 million ahead so far for the fiscal year that began…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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