Oregon Gov. Kate Brown ordered a state agency Tuesday to drop its lawsuit against a newspaper that sought public records about a man charged in the kidnapping and killing of his ex-wife. The records pertain to Anthony Montwheeler, who was discharged from the state mental hospital in December after telling the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review...
Gov. Butch Otter today signed into law all seven bills that make up the public school budget, and also signed into law the budgets that state lawmakers passed for Medicaid, parks, community colleges, career-technical education, the Department of Agriculture, and the Wolf Control Depredation Board,…
The Idaho State Tax Commission is refusing to disclose details about an online sales tax deal with Amazon, which went into effect over the weekend, the AP reports. The agreement allows the giant e-commerce company to start collecting sales tax for the state on internet purchases shipped to Idaho...
Environmental and animal-welfare groups have filed a lawsuit claiming the U.S. government is violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing the use of two predator-killing poisons. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Montana...
The #ToleranceMeans Dialogues, a lecture series designed by professors at the University of Illinois and Yale University to directly engage millenials, arrive in Idaho today, with a session at the state Capitol at 5 p.m. entitled, “Religion and Child Welfare: Do they have to be…
A Boise man who was once a plaintiff in a high-profile anti-panhandling lawsuit has registered as a Republican candidate for Idaho governor. Troy Minton joins an increasingly crowded race. With Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter saying he will not seek a fourth term in 2018, the race already has three competitive GOP candidates...
Idaho House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, responding to Gov. Butch Otter’s press conference yesterday on this year’s Idaho legislative session, is urging Otter to sign the grocery tax repeal bill into law. “This is a tax cut that will help tens of thousands of working…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter said Monday that he gives lawmakers high marks for their just-completed legislative session – but also some “incompletes” – and he wouldn’t say whether he’d sign or veto key pieces of legislation, including the bill to repeal Idaho’s 6 percent sales tax on groceries...
The Idaho Falls Post Register reports today that Rep. Janet Trujillo, R-Idaho Falls, who married House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, in December, claimed thousands of dollars worth of per-diem for maintaining a second residence in the Boise area during the legislative session and refused…
At his press conference this afternoon on this year’s legislative session, Gov. Butch Otter said he received a rejection from FEMA for his request for a major disaster declaration, and he’s appealing it. That’s part of Otter’s concern over the state budget, concern that he…
Here’s Lt. Gov. Brad Little’s full statement urging Gov. Butch Otter to sign HB 67, the grocery tax repeal bill, into law: “Fairness and competitiveness are two essentials for Idaho’s tax system. This is why I support the Legislature’s vote to repeal the sales tax…
Gov. Butch Otter wouldn’t say today whether he’ll veto the bill to repeal Idaho’s 6 percent sales tax on groceries, but as he responded to the just-concluded legislative session, Otter focused mostly on his concerns about the state general fund and how Idaho will be…
Gov. Butch Otter will give his response to the just-concluded legislative session today, in a press conference at his office at 2 p.m. You can watch live here.
Four big issues were supposed to dominate this year’s Idaho legislative session: Health care, education, transportation and taxes. But when the gavel fell last week on the stormy 80-day session...
On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, there’s a rundown of the events of the final week of the legislative session; co-host Melissa Davlin interviews Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg; there’s footage from the Senate transportation debate and the House and Senate minority post-session press…
Gov. Butch Otter has appealed the dismissal of his sage grouse lawsuit, the AP reports, saying the state was not speculating about the damage that implementing the current federal sage grouse plans will have on private and public lands. Otter filed the notice with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. "We are optimistic...
A proposal to repeal the state's 6 percent sales tax on groceries has been sent to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's office, kicking off the 10-day deadline the Republican governor has to either veto or approve the bill. According to House Chief Clerk Carrie Maulin, the grocery tax repeal bill was transmitted to the governor's desk Friday...
The numbers are in on the 2017 Idaho legislative session, and it saw the second-lowest number of bills pass both houses in the past six years. That figure came in at 347, down from 379 last year; since 2012, only 2012 was lower, at 342....
Longtime Idaho Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, who is widely rumored to be the leading candidate to be Idaho’s new U.S. Attorney, said Thursday that he sees funding for improved teacher pay – and the five-year plan in which the boost is the third year – as among the top accomplishments of the Idaho Legislature. “That’s one of the best things...
Gov. Butch Otter’s press conference on the legislative session at 2 today has been canceled – the governor has laryngitis and can’t speak. It’s being rescheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday. “It just got much worse today,” said Jon Hanian, Otter’s press secretary. “He’s struggling…
There’s a bit of a Twitter war going on today between President Donald Trump and Idaho 1st District Congressman Raul Labrador. First, Trump tweeted this morning, “The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We...
Idaho lawmakers closed out the 2017 legislative session Wednesday, finishing the year by passing a contentious repeal of the state's 6 percent sales tax on groceries while clearing a sweeping transportation funding plan. Yet this session was also marked by what the Legislature couldn't complete. Lawmakers backed away from addressing...
Gov. Butch Otter will give his take on the just-concluded legislative session at a press conference in the governor’s office at 2 p.m. Mountain time on Thursday, joined by some legislative leaders. You can watch live online here.
A $115 million unemployment insurance tax rate cut for Idaho employers fell victim to late-session battles between the Idaho House and Senate on Wednesday, as lawmakers ended a stormy legislative session and adjourned for the year.
Democratic legislators from the House and Senate, gathered at a post-session press conference, said they made it clear this year that they “represent the moderate middle that Idaho needs and wants.” House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, listed accomplishments including the bipartisan civil asset forfeiture…
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