Amid concerns from Senate GOP leaders, the Idaho Sheriffs Association has agreed to cut in half its requested increase in county jail payments for housing state prisoners. Mike Kane, the association’s lobbyist, told the Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon that his organization will go along…
The House has voted 54-13 in favor of a $126 million cut in income taxes over the next six years; HB 548 now moves to the Senate side, where Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee Chairman Jeff Siddoway already has said he doesn’t plan to…
Idaho state Rep. Shannon McMillan has asked that the House convene an ethics committee to examine her actions, after she voted against a bill that could hurt her financially without revealing her conflict of interest. “It is with deepest regret that I rise before you…
Gov. Butch Otter filed his candidacy papers this morning with the Idaho Secretary of State's office to run for a third term. Otter, who hasn't yet made a formal announcement, has been gearing up his re-election campaign nonetheless. So have his challengers, including GOP primary…
Rep. Hy Kloc, D-Boise, was upbeat this morning after the House Education Committee agreed to introduce his bill for a preschool pilot program, after hearing his 45-minute presentation about the bill. “It was actually great – it gave me an opportunity really explain the bill,”…
On a 15-5 vote, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has set a budget for Idaho Public Television that largely matches Gov. Butch Otter’s recommendation, but makes a shift from one-time funding for half of the needed replacement items, to ongoing funding for $400,000 worth of maintenance…
A decision on how to handle the future of a high school WiFi contract and the Schoolnet program has been postponed for three days, by unanimous consent of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. “I feel like we’re making a decision here without full information,” said Sen.…
The motion to fund the new Central Services division of the public school budget at $15.7 million in state general funds, $16.8 million total funds, has passed on an 18-2 vote of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, with just Sens. Steve Vick and Sheryl Nuxoll dissenting.…
In the past, the public schools budget included just six divisions. This year, a seventh division has been added: Central Services. Moved into that division are items for which the state Department of Education is granted funds to secure services centrally for Idaho school districts,…
Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, arguing for her motion to give teachers a 1.5 percent base pay increase next year instead of 1 percent, noted that teachers have lost thousands in pay due to budget cuts during the economic downturn, and not all teachers will benefit…
The numbers in the series of motions for the public school budget next year proposed by 14 members of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee add up to a $66.2 million increase (5.1%) in general funds for public schools next year, compared to Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is preparing this morning to set the single largest slice of Idaho's state budget - the budget for public schools. Much work and negotiation has been going on behind the scenes, on everything from how to handle a high school WiFi…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
