When the Idaho Legislature convenes in January, it’ll have just one committee chairman from North Idaho – new House Business Committee Chairman Vito Barbieri of Dalton Gardens. “I look forward to the opportunity of serving in this capacity, that’s for sure,” Barbieri said after he…
The full committee assignments for both the House and Senate are now up online, in the official journals of the House and Senate. You can see the Senate list here and the House list here.
Here are the new House committee chairs: Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, will chair the Business Committee, succeeding retired Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls. Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, will chair the Environment, Energy & Technology Committee, formerly chaired by Rep. Dell Raybould, who will…
Committee assignments in the Senate are not 100 percent done, but here’s a rundown of the new committee chairs: Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell, has been tapped to chair the Senate Agriculture Committee. Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, the former Ag chair, gets the Resources Committee, formerly…
Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, will be the new chairman of the Senate Education Committee. “That’s what I’ve been asked to do,” said Mortimer, who also will continue to serve on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. Mortimer replaces longtime Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, who was…
When the Senate took its roll-call vote this morning to re-elect Sen. Brent Hill as president pro-tem, new Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, didn’t vote the first time her name was called – for her first vote – but did when it was called again…
Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, who accepted the 2014 Dottie & Ed Stimpson Award for Civic Engagement from the City Club of Boise today, asked what advice he has for incoming Secretary of State-elect Lawerence Denney. “We chatted, he’s called,” Ysursa said. “I like…
Idaho has joined a $3.8 million multi-state settlement with Sirius XM Radio Inc. over misleading advertising and billing practices, through which Idaho consumers who had problems with the service can get reimbursed. "I am pleased we have reached an amicable settlement with Sirius,” said Idaho…
It’s the Senate’s custom to have a roll-call vote for the election of the Senate president pro-tem, and it was unanimous for Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, to continue in the post. Here, Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa administers the oath of office to Hill,…
Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, as he stepped forward to swear in the members of the Idaho Senate this morning, said, “Let me say it is a very distinct honor and privilege to be able to swear you in today. … It is a…
The House has unanimously approved the election of House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, as speaker for the upcoming session. “The ayes clearly have it,” said Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, who then administered the oath of office as speaker to Bedke; Bell is now the senior…
As members of the Idaho House were sworn in this morning, one of them, Rep. Paulette Jordan, D-Plummer, was enacting a bit of Idaho history: She is the third member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to serve in the Idaho House. Those before here were…
Both the Senate and the House are convening their organizational sessions this morning, with the first order of business the swearing-in of all the state lawmakers. The Senate is planning something special: Outgoing Secretary of State Ben Ysursa will administer the oath of office. "That's…
Idaho has joined a 17-state legal challenge to President Obama's executive action on immigration, led by Texas Gov.-elect and current Attorney General Greg Abbott. “I joined this suit to strongly express my objections to this unconstitutional and misguided policy and its unilateral implementation,” Gov. Butch…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
