Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

‘We might as well just be writing blank checks’

Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on today’s stunning and historic defeat of the public school budget by one vote in the Senate, derailing plans to end Idaho’s legislative session this week. Though opponents complained that the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee overstepped its bounds by setting policy in the budget bill, JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said this year’s budget included less “intent language” along with the budget numbers than most public school budgets. “The idea that JFAC shouldn’t be able to write language is ludicrous,” Cameron said. “Otherwise, we might as well just be writing blank checks.”



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

Follow Betsy online: