The Legislature’s Joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee has convened to set the revenue estimate it will recommend. If adopted by the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, that figure would form the basis for next year’s state budget. After two days of hearings on the state’s…
Gov. Butch Otter has appointed Dr. David McClusky of Twin Falls to the state Board of Correction, to fill the seat formerly held by Jay Nielsen of Twin Falls, whose term expired. McCluskey is a surgeon who previously served on the State Board of Medicine…
Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf and Gov. Butch Otter today unveiled a new state transparency website, “Transparent Idaho,” with extensive financial information about state government that’s automatically updated every night. The site features myriad charts and graphs, tons of detail to dig into, and is…
Condemned killer Joseph Duncan scored high on a test measuring paranoia, but was still legally competent to serve as his own attorney when he waived his right to appeal his death sentence, a forensic psychologist testified in federal court in Boise yesterday. Dr. Robert Engle…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The Blaine County Republican Central Committee has passed a resolution supporting the legalization of marijuana in Idaho. The committee approved the resolution 6-2 earlier this week. Committee member Mike Connor told the…
Don Drum, director of the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, told JFAC this morning that PERSI is among the best-funded state pension systems nationwide; it’s among a dozen states that are 80 percent or better funded. As of Jan. 3, it was 87.7 percent…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is diving right into its agency budget hearings this morning, with six relatively small agencies on the docket. First up is the Legislative Services Office. LSO Director Jeff Youtz told JFAC that Idaho’s legislative staffing is far below the national average.…
Last year, Idaho Senate members disclosed conflicts of interest 36 times, Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane said during the legislative ethics training session this afternoon; House members made 50 such disclosures plus five requests to be excused from voting. Kane said while that might sound…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — One of Idaho's biggest companies, Monsanto, isn't pushing to eliminate the personal property tax, on grounds such a move could undermine services in its home county. Monsanto government affairs director Trent Clark said…
Ethics expert Scott Raecker shared a story at the legislative ethics training session this afternoon about proposing a bill as a new lawmaker, and being told bills with sponsorship only from minority-party lawmakers don’t get public hearings. He had brought together various stakeholders behind the…
Ethics expert Scott Raecker, a longtime Iowa state lawmaker and executive director of Character Counts in Iowa at Drake University, has a big crowd of lawmakers from both houses at the ethics training session this afternoon in the Capitol Auditorium. Raecker shared his favorite quote…
Today was the City Club of Boise’s annual Pundits Forum, in which I joined Dan Popkey of the Idaho Statesman and John Miller of the Associated Press, along with moderator Jim Weatherby, to discuss the upcoming legislative session. There was a huge, record crowd of…
As the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee went over its complicated rules this morning, Legislative Budget Director Cathy Holland-Smith highlighted JFAC Rule 13 – To reopen a budget, either to put more money in – a supplemental appropriation – or to take money out – a negative…
Committees are meeting around the Statehouse this morning, though few have substantive business as yet. The House Health & Welfare Committee meeting is packed this morning, between Health & Welfare staffers, lobbyists, reporters and citizens, as it hears an overview of the programs at the…
The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee is meeting this afternoon, and has just released a new performance evaluation report entitled “Workforce Issues Affecting Public School Teachers.” Rakesh Mohan, director of the Office of Performance Evaluations, said, “In light of current interest in public education reform, I…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Treasurer Ron Crane has revamped how he documents some of his office's expenses, after concerns raised by state auditors last year. A 2012 audit of Crane's office determined expenses from his annual…
Former eight-term lawmakers and House Resources Committee Chairman Bert Stevenson was appointed to the Idaho Water Resource Board by Gov. Butch Otter today, along with Boise water attorney Al Barker. He also reappointed former Democratic state representative and Pocatello mayor Roger Chase and Vince Alberdi…
Before Joseph Duncan murdered a 9-year-old North Idaho boy in 2005, he set his sights on a Spokane child, posing as a prospective renter and touring a Spokane duplex with the boy’s mother while ogling the child. That news emerged in federal court in Boise…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Democrats are open to a $141 million personal property tax cut proposed by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, provided there's something in it for local governments. The minority party Tuesday offered its annual…
As members of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee began digging through Gov. Butch Otter’s budget proposal this morning, Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, questioned how Otter can say the budget is structurally balanced when it doesn’t address state employee pay that lags behind market rates and a…
Condemned multiple murderer Joseph Duncan will be back in an Idaho federal courtroom today, for a retrospective competency hearing, to determine if he was mentally competent in November of 2008 when he waived his appeals. If he’s ruled competent, Duncan will go back to federal…
In a fairly big shakeup in Idaho media circles, the new Idaho Education News has announced that it’s hired Idaho Falls Post Register Statehouse reporter Clark Corbin and Idaho Statesman editorial page editor Kevin Richert as its two new staffers who will cover education news…
The Idaho Commission for Libraries has launched a new “citizen tools portal” to help people access, track and participate in state government in Idaho. It includes information on following the legislative process, accessing the courts, and finding and verifying news online. You can access the…
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the Jerome County Sheriff’s office, saying it violated the employment rights of an Army National Guard member. Mervin Jones, a corporal for the sheriff’s office, suffered a knee injury while deployed to Iraq in 2004,…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter took an upbeat tone in his sixth State of the State message to lawmakers today, urging them to start where they all agree and get things done for the state – including his proposal for Idaho to run its own health…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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