The Idaho House has passed legislation assessing new fees on underground storage tank owners in an effort to keep state primacy over the program, rather than have it taken over by the EPA – but only after extensive debate in which some House members urged…
The House State Affairs Committee this morning killed HB 530, a public records exemption proposed by Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, after counties raised concerns about how it would apply to existing voter lists. The bill sought to make cellular phone numbers and email…
At this point this morning, 98 percent of the vote has been tallied from yesterday's Idaho presidential primary election for the GOP and Constitution Party. With 938 of 956 precincts reporting, Ted Cruz won the Idaho GOP contest with 45 percent. Donald Trump was in…
All told, the budget set in JFAC this morning for Idaho’s state prison system comes to $215.2 million in state general funds, a 3.7 percent increase over this year, and $243.3 million in total funds, up 6.3 percent from this year. State prisons chief Kevin…
Legislative budget writers are working on the state prisons budget today, setting budgets for each of the seven divisions within the state Department of Correction. Gov. Butch Otter had originally been calling for an 8.6 percent increase in state general funds next year, but revised...
Three days after he drew a crowd of thousands to the county fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz stormed North Idaho and the rest of the Gem State to win Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary. It’s the seventh state win in his bid for…
The latest results, with 621 of 956 precincts reporting - that's 65 percent - show Ted Cruz winning the Idaho GOP presidential primary with 43.9 percent of the vote. Donald Trump is in second place with 28.7 percent; Marco Rubio trails with 16.7 percent; and...
Idaho state Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, was celebrating Ted Cruz’ Idaho win tonight, and grabbed a Cruz sign off the wall at the GOP election night watch party as the crowd dwindled and people cleared out. “I’m pretty excited,” Vick said. “I think Idaho’s...
At least one TV network has now called Idaho a win for Ted Cruz in the GOP race, after he led with 41.5 percent of the vote with 47 percent of precincts reporting. Donald Trump was in second place at 29.4 percent; Marco Rubio in…
Here are the latest statewide results from the Idaho Secretary of State: With 226 of 955 precincts reporting, or 24 percent, Ted Cruz leads with 41.7% of the vote, followed by Donald Trump, 29.8%; Marco Rubio, 17.7%; and John Kasich, 6.7%.
Blaine County may not be typical of Idaho GOP voters, but it’s one county that’s finished counting all its ballots tonight. The results: Trump, 35%; Cruz, 24%; Kasich, 23%; and Rubio, 15%. That’s with all 17 of the county’s precincts reporting; the turnout, with 1,567…
Rod Beck, outspoken Idaho GOP activist and longtime closed-primary advocate, says he’s the Idaho chairman for the Donald Trump campaign. “I just took everything into consideration, and I think he’s the best candidate,” said Beck, a former Idaho Senate majority leader. “I want the Republican…
The very first Idaho results are out in tonight’s GOP presidential primary. With 21 of 955 precincts reporting, Donald Trump leads with 36.4 percent; followed by Ted Cruz, 32.9 percent; Marco Rubio, 17.9 percent; and John Kasich, 8.4 percent. These are very early results; they…
Idaho’s own Melissa Davlin, co-host of “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public TV, appeared on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press” today to talk about the election in Idaho, and the robocalls that have gone out to Idaho voters from Mitt Romney urging them to turn out and…
Ben Fulcher, state chair of the Idaho College Republicans and a senior at Boise State University, welcomed the crowd to the GOP election-night watch party tonight at the Riverside Hotel in Boise. Fulcher acknowledged right off that he resembles his dad, Russ Fulcher, a former…
After a late-afternoon debate, the Senate has voted 23-11 in favor of HB 431, the bill to remove the indexing from the homeowner’s exemption from property taxes, instead just fixing the exemption at a maximum of $100,000; that will mean a tax increase...
The House split along party lines this afternoon to endorse controversial charter school teacher contract legislation that’s opposed by all three major education stakeholder groups in Idaho – the Idaho Education Association, the Idaho School Boards Association and the Idaho Association of School Administrators. All...
Just after today’s lunch break, the House took up Rep. Pete Nielsen’s motion to reconsider its earlier 35-35 tie vote to kill HB 413a, the Orofino “Maniacs” special license plate. Asked to debate his motion, Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, said, “Well, I was sitting here rethinking…
Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, says current Idaho law treats young people who “sext” – take and send nude or provocative photos of themselves to a boyfriend or girlfriend – as child pornographers and requires them to register as sex offenders. His bill, HB 555, would…
The House at first killed legislation to create a special license plate to benefit Orofino schools honoring the Orofino High School mascot – the Maniacs – on a 35-35 tied vote today. But then, after two more bills had passed, Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home,...
Internet sales tax legislation co-sponsored by Rep. Lance Clow, R-Twin Falls, and Senate Tax Chairman Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, was introduced this morning by a unanimous vote of the House Revenue & Taxation Committee. The new bill takes a new approach, simply amending the definition of…
There was little discussion and the vote was unanimous today as the House State Affairs Committee backed legislation from Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, to repeal a state law that bans depictions of specific simulated sex acts in films or photos at premises with state liquor…
On a 9-8 vote today, the House State Affairs Committee refused to introduce a new anti-gambling bill aimed at targeting tribal gaming and any other slot machine-like operations and putting limits on the state lottery. Backers of the measure, led by former state Sen. Grant…
The Senate Agriculture Committee has voted unanimously in favor of HB 524, anti-animal cruelty legislation that’s backed by an array of agriculture groups, with the lone exception of the Idaho Farm Bureau. The bill defines “companion animals” and animal torture, and makes torture of a…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted 15-5 today to put another $400,000 in state general tax funds into the Wolf Depredation Control Board next year to kill problem wolves – the third straight year of such expenditures – even though the board hasn’t used much of…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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