The Legislature's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is holding its interim meeting in the Magic Valley; Twin Falls Times-News reporter Melissa Davlin has a report here wrapping up the first day of discussions yesterday. Among the topics: Prison overcrowding, rising firefighting bills, and questions about the state's budget outlook. Davlin reports that lawmakers questioned why the state spent more than three times as much on its lawyers in the Pam Lowe wrongful firing case - which the state settled after fighting the suit for three years - than Lowe spent on hers; they were told despite the high cost, the state's outside lawyer charged the state a lower rate than normal. The meeting continues today; you can see the agenda here, and follow Davlin on Twitter @TNdavlin for updates.