The Senate Education Committee has voted 6-2 in favor of SB 1089, to eliminate the early retirement incentive program for Idaho teachers. Sen. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, said doing away with the incentive will save the state money. “Please, committee, realize the implications to the budget…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — After 45 years of paying jurors no more than $10 daily, Idahoans called for jury duty could soon be paid up to $50 for each day they serve in court. The House Judiciary,…
Idaho’s senior senator and congressman both said today that they expect the automatic federal budget cuts required by sequestration to kick in as scheduled on March 1, forcing devastating cuts. “The one thing I’ve discovered is for every complex problem, there is a simple solution…
The chess pieces have kind of been all over the board on the health insurance exchange issue, but now they’re moving into formation and the game plan is becoming more clear: The Senate announced today that it will take up SB 1042, the governor’s state…
The Senate has voted 35-0 in favor of SB 1049, legislation to set up a new governor-appointed oil and gas commission; that role currently is filled by the members of the state Land Board, who are the state’s top five elected officials. Under the bill,…
The House debated hard over HB 180, the supplemental appropriation bill for the next phase of “Medicaid readiness,” or federally required changes to Idaho’s existing Medicaid program. Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, said, “We’re opening the door for Medicaid expansion, which can be a dangerous…
HB 65, the bill to restore the $30 million to the current year’s public school budget that was put in limbo when voters repealed the “Students Come First” laws in November, has passed the House unanimously on a 69-0 vote – with no debate. “I…
After setting the first seven agency budgets this morning, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee unanimously agreed to urge state agencies to grant raises to employees if they can find the money through salary savings. “The Legislature finds that investing in state employee compensation should remain a…
A budget for the state Department of Environmental Quality that generally matches the governor’s recommendation – including the addition of $300,000 for a fish consumption study to stave off potentially more stringent water pollution rules from the EPA – has won JFAC approval, though Sen.…
Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, proposed a budget for the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, which gets no state general funds, that largely matches the governor’s recommendation, but Eskridge trimmed out funding for six of 18 computers planned to be replaced, and for one chair and two…
There were unanimous votes in JFAC this morning on the budgets for the Division of Building Safety, state lottery, and endowment fund investment board; none include any state general funds, and none added funding for raises for state employees. In the building safety budget, Sen.…
The first budget up for consideration in JFAC this morning was the Department of Finance, which receives no state general tax funds; it operates entirely with fees on the industries it supervises. Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa, who noted that he is a banker – an…
Today is the first day of agency budget-setting for the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, with the PUC and Department of Environmental Quality among those on the agenda. First, though, the joint committee is considering a final supplemental appropriation request, this one a negative. The Catastrophic Health…
House Rev & Tax Chairman Gary Collins, R-Nampa, hasn’t set a date yet for a print hearing on the bill to remove Idaho’s sales tax from Girl Scout cookies, which would allow the bill to be introduced. He said he’s worried about the state budget…
Instead of flooding grocery stores with food stamp recipients on the 1st of every month, Idaho would stagger the issuance of food stamps over the first 10 days of each month, under legislation that cleared the Senate Health & Welfare Committee this afternoon on a…
There are about 65 people in room EW 41 of the state Capitol this afternoon for a “listening session” on state employee compensation; six Democratic lawmakers are assembled to hear the testimony. In the audience, House Commerce Chairman Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, and Joint Finance-Appropriations…
The associations representing Idaho cities, counties and school boards all have come out against the initial draft bill the governor’s office released last week to phase out the personal property tax on business equipment, reports Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News. “The legislation will result…
As Girl Scouts fan out across the state for their annual cookie sale, under current law, 22 cents of every $3.75 box they sell will go to the state of Idaho, rather than to Girl Scout programs. The Girl Scouts of the Silver Sage Council…
Idaho Statesman reporter Rocky Barker reports that new legislation from Rep. Ed Morse, R-Hayden, on regulatory takings echoes a 2006 initiative, Proposition 2, that Idaho voters rejected by a large margin, 76 percent no to 24 percent yes. Morse’s bill, HB 160, seeks to expand…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would ban teens younger than 16 from using tanning beds is back in the Idaho Legislature. On Monday, the House Health and Welfare committee introduced the measure, which would also…
Mentally unstable teens who pose a serious threat to themselves or others could be ordered into temporary protective custody by their doctor for up to 24 hours, under a bill introduced in the House Health & Welfare Committee this morning, the AP reports; under existing…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho residents with concealed weapons permits could soon carry their guns in more states, under a plan to allow them to get additional training. Currently, most states don't recognize Idaho concealed weapons permits,…
Today is the day that both the House and the Senate hold their memorial services to remember those former members who have died in the past year. In the Senate this morning, formers Sens. Larry Craig and Denton Darrington returned to take part in the…
There was no opposition, and the House Revenue & Taxation Committee was unanimous this morning in backing HB 140, the bill to clarify that tribe-owned land within Idaho Indian reservations is not subject to local county property taxation. Such lands hadn’t been taxed in Idaho…
This was the view up at Bogus Basin yesterday as the sun slanted through the clouds. Despite a thin snow cover so far this year, the local non-profit ski resort delivered an outstanding weekend of skiing, with warm, sunny, spring-like conditions on Saturday and a…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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