Feelings are running high on the House side of the rotunda, with today’s defeat of the Arts Commission budget and subsequent barbs flying between the House minority and majority. Minority Democrats are steamed that their bills aren’t getting introduced or considered, when Republican proposals like…
The Idaho Senate approved the budget for the Medicaid program for next year this afternoon on a 29-5 vote; the budget bill, SB 1391, shows just a 3.4 percent increase in state general funds next year, 6.2 percent in total funds. Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow,…
The House, after its lunch recess, went straight to House Minority Leader John Rusche’s request to reconsider the 33-36 vote in which it killed SB 1368, the budget for the state Commission on the Arts. Rusche asked for unanimous consent for reconsideration, but there was...
A report tracking $16.7 million in teacher “leadership premiums,” compiled by the State Department of Education and presented to two legislative committees, is fraught with math errors, reports Idaho Education News. The report came under some harsh scrutiny in the House Education Committee Thursday morning.…
The Senate has voted 31-3 in favor of Sen. Grant Burgoyne’s bill to allow protection orders to be issued in cases where the victim isn’t related to or in a romantic relationship with the harasser – something not allowed under current Idaho law. That’s been…
Not long after the House unexpectedly killed the budget for the Idaho Commission on the Arts for next year – and reconsideration of the 33-36 vote was requested – the House has recessed until 1:30, and the GOP majority has gone into a closed-door caucus.
The Senate has voted 27-8 in favor of banning local ballot measures or local ordinances raising the minimum wage; HB 463 had previously passed the House, so it now goes to Gov. Butch Otter. Sen. Steve Vick, Dalton Gardens, said he has worked as a…
The House has unexpectedly killed the budget for the Idaho Commission on the Arts, on a 33-36 vote; the $782,900 budget, which reflects a 3.1 percent increase in state general funds, had earlier passed the Senate on a 32-3 vote. Rep. John Rusche, D-Lewiston, served…
With budgets set this morning for the state Department of Agriculture, the Division of Career-Technical Education, the Agricultural Research & Extension Service, the last few divisions of the state Department of Health & Welfare, and the Millennium Fund, on which JFAC followed the recommendation of…
After the House voted unanimously last week to back legislation requiring processing of sexual assault evidence kits – after reports surfaced that many have been going untested – JFAC today voted 15-4 to provide the necessary funding, $222,700 next year for the Idaho State Police,…
Legislative budget writers took a historic step this morning, voting unanimously in favor of spending $5.5 million next year to fund the Public Defense Commission and reform Idaho’s system of providing public defenders to defendants who can’t afford attorneys – a system that a state-commissioned…
Sen. Mary Souza’s parental rights bill cleared the House Education Committee without objection today, after Souza told the panel that unlike last year, “We are very pleased to see that this year it is being received in a much more positive way – there is…
Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal for a significant expansion in career-technical education – formerly called professional-technical education, and including capacity expansions for industry areas that are high-wage, high-skill and high-demand – has won unanimous support from JFAC this morning. The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted 20-0 in…
Here’s our full story today on the final numbers from Tuesday’s Idaho presidential primary election, which drew a surprisingly strong turnout, though all that was on the ballot was the GOP and Constitution Party presidential primary picks plus some local school levies. In the GOP…
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