The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is looking at two possible options on intent language for the public schools budget this morning with regard to state high school WiFi networks: One would allow school districts to “opt out” of the current long-term, statewide contract, and get a…
The Idaho Falls Post Register has a report today about how Gov. Butch Otter ended up appearing in what eventually turned out to be a soft-core porn movie, years after he agreed to provide horses to a California movie crew working on a “low-budget horse…
A federal judge says a whistleblower lawsuit against the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections can move forward in court on some of the claims it raises, charging that young prisoners at a Nampa juvenile detention facility were sexually abused by staffers, and agency leaders not…
The Senate has spent lots of time in session today, and is still going now, at a quarter to 6 p.m. Boise time. Among the bills it’s passed this afternoon: HB 504, the measure to give $15.8 million in leadership bonuses to Idaho teachers next…
You can read my full story here at spokesman.com on today’s final passage of SB 1254, the bill to allow guns on Idaho’s public college and university campuses, though the colleges don’t want them and strenuously opposed the bill. It now goes to Gov. Butch…
Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee Chairman Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, said today that he’s sticking to his determination not to give House-passed legislation to cut individual and corporate income tax rates a hearing in his committee. “I’m sticking to my guns,” Siddoway said. “If we…
SB 1254, the guns on campus bill, has passed the House on a 50-19 vote, and now goes to Gov. Butch Otter. All 13 House Democrats voted no, as did six Republicans, Reps. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake; George Eskridge, R-Dover; Maxine Bell, R-Jerome; Darrell Bolz,…
After an hour and a half, the House debate on SB 1254, the guns on campus bill, has wrapped up, and Reps. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, and Christy Perry, R-Nampa, are giving their closing debate. "The authority surrounding the 2nd Amendment has always resided within the…
More from today’s guns-on-campus bill debate in the House: Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, complimented House State Affairs Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, for how he ran the earlier committee hearing on the bill. “We were there for seven hours, we heard everyone who wanted to speak,…
Here’s some of the debate in the House this afternoon on SB 1254, the guns-on-campus bill: Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, an attorney, said, “Idaho courts have found that restrictions on guns in schools are legitimate under the Idaho Constitution. … This is really just a…
The House has convened for its afternoon session, and quickly disposed of its first bill at hand unanimously. Now, it's time for the guns-on-campus bill. Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, is opening the debate on SB 1254. “This is the bill that you’ve all been hearing…
The House has recessed until 1:30, with just one more bill left to address before it gets to SB 1254, the controversial bill to allow guns on Idaho public colleges and university campuses. All of Idaho's public college and university presidents oppose the bill, as…
HB 550, the supplemental appropriation bill to pay $6.6 million in state general funds to Education Networks of America to make up for missing federal e-rate funds that haven’t arrived as scheduled this year to fund the Idaho Education Network, has passed the Senate on…
HB 567, Rep. Janet Trujillo’s parental rights bill, has passed the House on a 64-5 vote, after House members had lots of questions for Trujillo about what the bill actually does, including whether it would allow parents to opt their child out of standardized testing.…
Both the House and the Senate are now in session; House Majority Leader Mike Moyle said the House will first suspend rules and take up those House bills that are on its 2nd reading calendar, and then it’ll start working its way down its 3rd…
About 35 Add the Words protesters are ringing the 3rd floor Statehouse rotunda today, each in turn telling their stories of discrimination and why they're involved with the movement, while the others stand with their hands covering their mouths. The voices are ringing down through…
After a long hearing and much debate, a divided House Revenue & Taxation Committee has approved HB 507, legislation from Sen. Bob Nonini and Rep. John Vander Woude to grant $10 million a year in tax credits for donations to scholarships to send students to…
Lawmakers have set the budget for the state Catastrophic Health Care Program for next year at $35 million, almost exactly what the state portion of the county-state program is budgeted for this year. Rep. Thyra Stevenson, R-Lewiston, said she and Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood, didn’t…
The other section of intent language for the public school budget that was up for consideration in JFAC today has won unanimous support, with little discussion. It deals with funding for instructional improvement systems, including the much-criticized Schoolnet system. Again, the language is exceedingly complicated.…
After some back-and-forth, JFAC Co-Chair Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, has withdrawn her objection, and the joint budget committee has agreed to hold off for one day on the intent language to go with the public school budget regarding high school WiFi networks. “We have a wonderful…
OK, this is complicated. JFAC has taken up the intent language to be added to the public school budget – strings tied to the funding that have the force of law – regarding high school WiFi networks and funding for the instructional management system. At…
Community colleges would see a $2.8 million, 9.1 percent boost in state funding next year, under a budget set by the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning on a unanimous vote; much of the increase would go to cover increasing enrollment at the fast-growing College of…
Legislative budget writers this morning have set a budget for the state’s four-year colleges and universities that matches the governor’s recommendation for a 6.2 percent increase in state general funds, though it’s slightly higher, at 7 percent, in total funds; Gov. Butch Otter’s recommended total-funds…
In the budget for the judicial branch of state government this morning, competing budgets were proposed in JFAC, with the sole differences whether or not to grant an increase in funding for the Guardian ad Litem program, through which volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates speak…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has a full house and a full agenda this morning, with budgets scheduled to be set including the judicial branch, colleges and universities, community colleges, the catastrophic health care fund, intent language for the public schools budget regarding WiFi and more.
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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