The Senate killed a hard-fought energy compromise by one vote, the House speaker booted two moderates out of their committee chairmanships, and Idaho's wild 2011 legislative session ground to a finish Thursday after 88 days - the seventh-longest session in state history, and clearly one…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney's sudden moves to replace two committee chairmen - Reps. Leon Smith at Transportation and Tom Trail at Agriculture - announced quietly just as the House was adjourning, sent shock waves through the House. Denney said he made the move to enforce…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney has removed two of the most independent-voting committee chairmen in the House: Transportation Chairman Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, and Agriculture Chairman Tom Trail, R-Moscow, as punishment for not voting with leadership on procedural votes, including moves to call bills from committee,…
The gavel fell, and the House adjourned for the year at 2:21 p.m. "This has been a very difficult session," said House Speaker Lawerence Denney. "I do apologize for the little scarf incident yesterday. I take responsibility for that. I don't want to make any…
On a 58-10 vote, the House has approved SB 1206 to create a "Youth Challenge Program" under the Idaho National Guard in Pierce. Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, debated against the bill, saying Idaho shouldn't accept federal money for the program. "We send people to…
Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, said it's been a "difficult" legislative session for him. "I'm proud of the work that we've done in the education reform arena," he said, "and it's a good first step. As we go to implement it, there may…
HB 193a, the pro-megaloads bill designed to block lawsuits targeting big loads on Idaho roads, has cleared the House as amended in the Senate, on a 55-12 vote. "It'll help hopefully to curtail some lawsuits and save the state some money," Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St.…
The day care licensing bill, HB 129a, has been approved in the House as amended in the Senate, on a 59-8 vote. "We have worked on this day care legislation for many years, and this time we got it right," Rep. Sharon Block, R-Twin Falls,…
The House has voted 53-17 in favor of SB 1206, the public schools budget, a measure that takes in the single largest piece of Idaho's state spending. Under SB 1206, Idaho schools will see a $47 million funding cut next year, on top of the…
It's in the House that the remaining business of the legislative session will be done; but one thing's clear: This morning's exercise, in which a new charter school cap-lifting bill was introduced in a hastily-called Ways & Means Committee meeting, then passed on the floor…
At 12:36 p.m., the gavel fell in the Senate, and it adjourned sine die for the legislative session. Perhaps the oddest moment of the Senate's closing presentations - not counting the singing, which is more typical of the House - came when Sen. Melinda Smyser,…
Here's how senators voted on HB 347, the renewable energy compromise bill that was killed by one vote in the final decision of the Senate's session this year: Voting in favor: Sens. Bair, Bock, Brackett, Cameron, Darrington, Hammond, Heider, Hill, Keough, LeFavour, Malepeai, McGee, McKague,…
The Senate, preparing to adjourn sine die, has sent committees to inform both the House and the governor. Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, reported back, "We've spoken to the governor ... He's excited that we're going home." Sen. John Andreason, R-Boise, reported back from the House,…
The Senate has taken the first steps, appointing committees to inform the House and the governor, toward adjourning sine die - without a day - which means wrapping it up for the legislative session.
In a surprise move, the Senate has just voted 17-18 on HB 347, the renewable energy rebate - killing the bill. It was the first piece of a two-bill compromise on energy policy. Immediately after the vote, the Senate went at ease. Then, Sen. Curt…
The Senate has again voted narrowly, 19-16, to approve a "trailer" bill adding an emergency clause to this year's school reform legislation, this time on HB 345, which adds the clause to SB 1184, the bill that shifts funding from salaries to technology and promotes…
HB 353, the newly introduced bill to lift the cap on creation of new charter schools, has passed the House on a 39-29 vote; the bill was just introduced in a hastily called House Ways & Means Committee meeting an hour earlier. Rep. Cliff Bayer,…
HB 336, the second "trailer" bill to this year's school reform bills, passed the Senate on a narrow 19-16 vote; that was the bill to add an emergency clause to SB 1110, the teacher merit pay bill, even though the merit pay program wouldn't begin…
The House is debating HB 353, the newly introduced bill to lift the cap on creation of new charter schools. Rep. Bill Killen, D-Boise, asked why the bill's fiscal note showed no impact on the state's general fund, and questioned why more charter schools wouldn't…
The Senate has taken up the first of the "trailer" bills, or follow-up bills, to the school reform bills this year; the first one, HB 335, amends the teacher contract bill, SB 1108, making various changes and adding an emergency clause; it drew lots of…
SB 1205, the Millennium Fund budget, just barely passed the House on a 34-32 vote, with the vote teetering back and forth several times - it settled several times at a tie - before finally reaching the two-vote margin of approval. If that budget bill…
Idaho lawmakers rushed through a bill to pay $100,000 to the Idaho Republican Party - to which 81 percent of them belong - in the final days of this year's legislative session, to cover the party's attorney fees in its successful primary election lawsuit against…
The House Ways & Means Committee just voted 4-3, along party lines, to introduce a new version of Rep. Cliff Bayer's legislation to lift the cap on creation of new charter schools in Idaho, which currently is set at six. With lawmakers pushing for adjournment…
Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, has moved to send the second piece of the energy compromise, HB 347, to the full Senate with a recommendation that it "do pass." McGee said in the past hour and a half, he's heard "compelling" testimony on both sides of…
The House has taken a break for a Ways & Means Committee meeting to introduce a new bill that Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, said "we need to get over to the Senate." The committee has posted an agenda showing that it'll consider a new…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
