On a 9-8 vote, the House Judiciary Committee has killed Sen. Lee Heider’s bill to invalidate all local regulations on the use, carrying or manufacture of knives – including the rules at schools and jails. Heider, R-Twin Falls, said his bill would assert state primacy...
The House has voted 31-39 on Rep. John Rusche’s motion to reconsider its earlier, narrow vote to kill HB 192, the bill for a new “pet friendly” license plate, to benefit spaying and neutering of dogs and cats. That’s not far off from the 30-38…
The House has voted 62-8 in favor of HB 296, the career ladder teacher pay bill, sending it to the Senate side. Anti-climactically, there was no debate, which surprised many – this is the bill that’s seen as a centerpiece of this year’s legislative session,...
Without explanation, the House has put off a vote on HB 260, the Monks-Chaney road funding bill - the only option that's made it to the House thus far, with Friday's rejection of a leadership-backed funding bill in the House Transportation Committee. At the request…
Treasure Valley Racing, the company that operates the Les Bois Park racetrack, today issued a formal notice under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN Act, that it plans to shut down and lay off all its employees if SB 1011, the…
The Senate has voted 27-7 in favor of HB 154a, the “chemical abortion” bill, which places new restrictions on abortions that are performed by medication, such as RU-486, rather than by surgery. Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood, warned of “web-cam abortions,” in which she said the...
The House, after much debate both for and against, has voted 51-18 in favor of HB 246, the anti-bullying bill. “I think it’s our responsibility to protect these children,” said the bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Patrick McDonald, R-Boise. The bill has a bipartisan group of…
The Senate has voted 27-7 in favor of HB 113a, the parental rights bill that the House earlier passed but that was amended in the Senate. Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood, said the measure would ensure that courts recognize parents’ “fundamental right” to raise and educate...
The House has voted 51-17 in favor of HB 1, the bill from a Boise 8th-grader to designate the Idaho giant salamander as the state amphibian, sending the measure to the Senate – where last year, it passed overwhelmingly. Rep. Patrick McDonald, R-Boise, said, “This...
The House has narrowly killed legislation to create a new “pet friendly” specialty license plate to raise money for spaying and neutering of dogs and cats, at the urging of Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard. However, House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, gave notice that he’ll…
The House Education Committee has endorsed legislation to require Idaho students to pass the same civics test that new immigrants must pass for citizenship before they graduate from high school, sending SB 1071a to the full House for a final vote. “Students do need to…
Two measures regarding amending the U.S. Constitution that had earlier passed the House died in the Senate State Affairs Committee this morning. After much testimony, the Senate panel narrowly rejected HB 67 from Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, to set requirements for Idaho delegates to an…
The House Revenue & Taxation Committee has approved legislation allowing counties to greatly expand their use of an optional property tax break they can hand out for business expansions, at the urging of the state Commerce Department and House Majority Leader Mike Moyle. Currently, the…
The state has spent $61 million on a failed statewide instructional management system called Schoolnet, according to a new performance evaluation out this morning from the Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations. “Poor management, poor decisions, and poor system functionality compounded themselves and prevented the goals…
Two GOP state representatives, Reps. Patrick McDonald of Boise and Christy Perry of Nampa, will propose legislation this morning to start a “kindergarten preparedness” program in Idaho, in the form of a three-year pilot project, Boise State Public Radio reports. The proposal would use a...
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The unemployment rate among Idaho's veterans is now the third-lowest in the country, after dropping almost 5 percentage points over the last year. New numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
