“We want to thank everyone for coming,” the Rev. Shahram Hadian said, opening his presentation in the Lincoln Auditorium tonight. “We’re here tonight because, at the request of citizens from Idaho who asked us to be able to present this information here at the Capitol,...
Close to 100 protesters have gathered in the Capitol hallway outside the Lincoln Auditorium, where two anti-Islam speakers are scheduled to address refugee resettlement issues in a 5:30 presentation today. The protesters are holding signs with messages including, “Refugees Welcome,” “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself,”...
It has not been an easy past few months to be a Muslim in America, reports Boise State Public Radio, including in the Treasure Valley, where the Muslim population may be well over 10,000. Reporter Dan Greenwood reports that on a recent Friday, about 40…
Lawmakers on the revenue committee have voted to accept Gov. Butch Otter's forecast of state tax revenues for the coming year, on a 13-4 vote. The four "no" votes came from Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, and Reps. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, Christy Perry, R-Nampa, and Mat...
Each senator or representative on the Joint Legislative Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee has set his or her own estimate of state tax revenues for the coming year; the median of the committee members’ estimates came in very close to Gov. Butch Otter’s: $3.1963…
The Legislature’s joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee has convened in the Lincoln Auditorium this afternoon to set the state revenue projection; you can watch live here. Derek Santos, Gov. Butch Otter’s chief economist, told the lawmakers, “Instead of having a V-shaped expansion and...
More than two dozen labor unions from across the state are at the Capitol today and have booths set up in the 2nd floor rotunda; they represent firefighters, iron workers, electricians, sheet metal workers, postal workers and more. Leaders of 30 union locals met with…
Legislative budget writers have approved a boost in fire preparedness funding requested by the state Land Board, in anticipation that next year’s fire season will be just as bad as this year’s was, and offered high praise to the state Department of Lands firefighting operations...
The Idaho Transportation Department isn’t requesting any increase in state funds in next year’s budget. Though the governor’s total budget recommendation for ITD reflects a 30.8 percent increase over this year’s original appropriation, the difference is largely the funding increases that lawmakers approved last year...
Two big rallies have been announced for the Capitol steps in the coming days: An “Add the Words” rally on Saturday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.; and a “Stop Tuition Hikes” rally, supporting a ballot initiative to raise cigarette taxes and lower college tuition, is…
ITD Director Brian Ness told lawmakers this morning that looking ahead, “The key to maintaining Idaho’s infrastructure is to provide a sound, stable funding source. The key to investing that money wisely is to constantly improve our operations and effectiveness at ITD.” He said in…
When lawmakers approved a gas tax and fee increase last year, ITD Director Brian Ness said, “We had 27 projects ready to go. There are few agencies in the nation that could have acted so quickly, and I am proud of our employees for making...
JFAC is jumping right into agency budget hearings, with the Idaho Transportation Department up this morning. With a couple inches of snow on the ground and slick conditions in Boise, Director Brian Ness started by telling the lawmakers, “I’ll have you know we’re taking care...
Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal to increase state funding for public schools next year by 7.9 percent is the biggest percentage increase the third-term governor has proposed for schools since he took office. For context, here are his past proposed school budget increases: Current year (Fiscal…
A potato genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine is as safe as any other potato on the market, the Food and Drug Administration says. In a letter Tuesday to Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Co., the FDA said the potato isn't…
The Senate Education Committee is hearing introductions and presentations from education stakeholder groups today; three of them, the Idaho Education Association, the Idaho School Boards Association, and the Idaho School Administrators Association, appeared together. “Over the past few years, we’ve worked very hard to find...
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says it's investigating after Idaho officials reported inadvertently putting tracking collars on four wolves during recent helicopter flights into a central Idaho wilderness restricted to putting collars on elk....
Idaho’s state agencies have been suffering from “wage compression,” Jani Revier, Gov. Butch Otter’s budget director, told lawmakers on the joint Change in Employee Compensation Committee this afternoon; you can listen live here. “Employees have not been progressing through the pay grade, and this has…
Idaho Rep. Pete Nielsen of Mountain Home has been cited with unlawful possession of an elk. The Republican lawmaker entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday in 4th District Magistrate Court. Officials...
With no discussion, the House State Affairs Committee has voted unanimously to introduce the second bill it’s considered this year, a proposal from the state Liquor Division to ban powdered alcohol. That move clears the way for a full hearing on the bill. Jeff Anderson,…
The first bill proposed to a legislative committee this session – a pipeline safety program fines bill from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission – has been rejected. As he began his presentation to the House State Affairs Committee this morning, Idaho PUC Commissioner Paul Kjellander,…
Idaho’s all-GOP congressional delegation gave President Obama’s final State of the Union address last night the thumbs-down, will all four issuing statements decrying the president and his message. “Instead of attacking Americans’ liberties, the President should work with Congress to secure our borders and protect…
Reps. Heather Scott, Sage Dixon and Judy Boyle held an impromptu press conference in the Capitol just now to discuss their trip over the weekend to visit protesters who have taken over a federal wildlife refuge near Burns, Ore. Dixon, R-Ponderay, said the armed protesters...
Idaho legislators are undergoing civil discourse training today, working with the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. The institute has worked with 12 other states, but Idaho is the first to schedule a Legislature-wide training session backed by leadership; Maine is...
When three Idaho state representatives joined lawmakers from Washington and Oregon over the weekend to visit the armed protesters occupying a federal wildlife refuge near Burns, Ore., they also met with law enforcement officials, said Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, who was among the group. “We...
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| Jan. 2016 | ||||
| 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 |
| 18 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| 11 | 10 | 08 | 07 | 06 |
| 05 | 04 |
