Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the state performance evaluation that says Idaho wasted $61 million on a failed statewide instructional management system for schools, as former state schools Superintendent Tom Luna pushed it forward despite warnings it wouldn’t work. Luna…
HB 264, the budget bill for the mental health division of the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, has won unanimous support from the Senate and now heads to the governor’s desk. The bill includes $1.7 million in funding for a second mental health crisis…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) - State officials are no longer requesting the Idaho Legislature approve new rules designed to tighten oversight on multimillion dollar contracts after lawmakers voiced concerns the proposed guidelines didn't go far enough. An official…
A split Senate Transportation Committee has voted 5-3 in favor of HB 262, to override city regulations on “transportation network” services like Uber; the vote sends the House-passed bill to the full Senate for a final vote. The bill was proposed by a lobbyist for…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would let Idaho corporations pursue societal and environmental causes is headed to the governor's desk. House lawmakers unanimously endorsed the plan Tuesday. Currently, Idaho corporations risk a lawsuit if they…
The Idaho House has voted 57-11 in favor of HB 301, the concealed carry bill, which reorganizes and streamlines Idaho’s concealed-weapon laws while also removing any requirement for a concealed-carry permit outside city limits; current law allows that now for anyone engaged in a lawful…
The House has suspended its rules and taken up HB 301, the concealed carry bill sponsored by Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale. The bill revises and streamlines Idaho’s existing concealed-weapon permit laws, and removes the requirement to be engaged in a “lawful outdoor activity” in order...
The Senate has recessed until 3 p.m., and the House until 1:15.
The House has voted 50-19 in favor of SB 1072a, which would require school board candidates in districts with 500 or more students to disclose their campaign finances. When some in the House questioned if the filings would be a burden for candidates for the…
The Idaho Senate has voted unanimously in favor of HB 167a, which eliminates the exemption in the Idaho Open Meeting Law for labor negotiations. “It provides a little bit of transparency,” said Sen. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, the bill’s Senate sponsor. He noted that the measure…
The Senate has voted unanimously, 34-0, in favor of SB 1156, to facilitate an FDA study in Idaho of a British-made drug that includes an extract from cannabis for treatment of children with intractable epilepsy. The idea is that through a program called “compassionate use,”...
After a long and emotional debate, the Idaho Senate has voted 22-12 in favor of SB 1146a, the bill to legalize a non-psychotropic extract of cannabis called cannabidiol oil for treatment of children with an intractable form of epilepsy. “I think this is a very…
The Senate is locked in an emotional debate this morning over SB 1146a, the bill to legalize a non-psychotropic form of cannabidiol oil, which is extracted from cannabis, for treatment of children with an intractable form of epilepsy that causes severe and sustained, and eventually...
The House State Affairs Committee has approved SB 1066 to establish a new, earlier presidential primary election on the second Tuesday of March, ahead of Idaho's May primary election, at a cost to taxpayers of $2 million. Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, joined the committee’s four…
Responding to an especially damning state performance evaluation report released yesterday that says Idaho has wasted $61 million on a failed statewide instructional management system for schools, Tim Corder, special assistant to new state schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra, told lawmakers this morning the report is...
The head of the Idaho State Police stood by his decision not to investigate a private prison company when he was questioned by lawmakers during a reappointment hearing Monday, the AP reports. Idaho State Police Col. Ralph Powell told the Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
