The Senate State Affairs Committee has voted unanimously to uphold the results of the November election in District 29, and declare Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, the duly elected senator, rejecting a formal contest from his Republican challenger, Tom Katsilometes. The decision came at the end...
Under questioning from Sen. Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, Chief Deputy Secretary of State Tim Hurst, who was present at the recount of ballots in District 29, said, “There was some confusion when the recount was done, because the numbers were different from the contest. And…
“The basic allegations against my client are wrong,” James Ruchti, attorney for Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, told the Senate State Affairs Committee as it considered Nye’s election opponent's contest of the election results. “Sen. Nye did not do what he is accused of doing.” The…
James Ruchti, a former Democratic state representative and the attorney today representing Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, in his GOP opponent’s challenge of the Senate election results, told the Senate State Affairs Committee such contests have only been filed twice before in state history, one in…
Though no cross-examination was planned as part of today’s Senate committee hearing on the challenge of the District 29 election, Sen. Bart Davis’ close questioning of Kahle Becker, attorney for election contestant Tom Katsilometes, is a thing to hear. A sample: “This isn’t about discretion;…
Demonstrating with large blowups of printouts of individual precinct results from this year’s District 29 Senate race, unsuccessful GOP candidate Tom Katsilometes told the Senate State Affairs Committee this morning that he believes the election results – in which he lost to Sen. Mark Nye,…
Attorney Kahle Becker told the Senate State Affairs Committee that Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, who previously served in the House, collected nine campaign donations between Jan. 1 and his formal announcement that he would be running for the Senate, not the House, and then transferred…
Both Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, and his GOP challenger, Tom Katsilometes, are represented by attorneys this morning for the election contest hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Katsilometes’ attorney is Kahle Becker; Nye is represented by former state Rep. James Ruchti, and also is...
As the Senate State Affairs Committee opens its hearing this morning on the challenge of the District 29 Senate election by losing candidate Tom Katsilometes, Chairman Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, had this caution: “I know that sometimes in courts I’ve seen some pretty caustic remarks made…
The Idaho Legislature is in session today, even though it’s a state holiday that actually was created by the Legislature – Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day. This has always been the Legislature’s practice; it doesn’t take holidays while it’s in session, including President’s…
A defiant Idaho Rep. Heather Scott went on talk radio in Boise on Friday evening to defend her comments that got her removed from all her House committee assignments, charging that the sanctions against her were just a “distraction” to keep attention off her new…
Tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television includes an update on the events of the tumultuous first week the of the legislative session; co-host Aaron Kunz’s interview with BSU School of Public Service Dean Corey Cook about the new Idaho Policy Survey; a report on…
Massage therapists in Idaho would be required to undergo criminal background checks under newly introduced legislation. Mitch Toryanksi, with the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses, says that Idaho law does not require a fingerprint-based background check to receive a massage therapist license. Adding the background...
Idahoans think the state is generally on the right track, according to the latest Idaho Policy Survey, published today by Boise State University. “They’re also optimistic about the future,” said BSU political science Professor Justin Vaughn. “This was true from last year when we did this...
Idaho lawmakers are considering a set of rule changes that would strengthen a community approach to the state's mental health treatment for children. The Post Register reports that the rule changes would allow Idaho to continue implementing the Jeff D. lawsuit settlement. The nearly four-decade-old class-action lawsuit...
Idaho's top prosecutor has decided not to file criminal charges after his office was asked to review accusations of possible voter intimidation and interference during campaigning for last November's election, the AP reports. A Democratic Party volunteer in Bonner County had reported harassment by backers of Rep. Heather Scott.
The budget-writing Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved a dozen supplemental appropriations this morning, all unanimously except for one – the request from the Idaho State Historical Society for an additional $1 million from the general fund to tide it over on construction of the new exhibits…
Terms like motion, order, affidavit, telephonic hearing and the like were being tossed around in the Senate State Affairs Committee this morning as the panel prepares to consider a contest of the Senate election in District 29; the senators are essentially acting as a court…
Retired Sen. Roy Lacey, D-Pocatello, who is filling in this week for Rep. Elaine Smith, also a Pocatello Democrat, told the House today that he’ll be back again next week. “She had her procedure yesterday, and it did not go well,” Lacey said. “She’s been…
Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on Rep. Heather Scott being stripped of all her committee assignments today, and her defiant response, in which she said, “I call it like I see it.” She also set up a Facebook page, “We Stand…
After an hour and 10 minutes of public testimony, the Legislature’s joint CEC Committee has wrapped up today’s meeting on state employee pay; it’ll meet again tomorrow afternoon, and then again on Tuesday at 4 p.m. to make its recommendations. John Tippets, director of the…
In more testimony to the Legislature’s joint CEC Committee today: Megan Ronk, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce, spoke in favor Gov. Butch Otter’s recommendation for 3 percent merit-based raises for state employees, and thanked lawmakers for the flexibility they’ve given state agency heads…
The Legislature’s joint CEC Committee – that stands for Change in Employee Compensation – is meeting today and is taking public testimony. First up to testify was Rob Pangaro, a faculty member from Boise State University with multiple degrees who is working on his Ph.D,…
Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, co-chairman of the joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee, said the committee’s recommendation will go to JFAC, which will make the final decisions on budgeting for next year. “The numbers are so close that it really doesn’t make any difference...
Sen. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, made the first motion at today’s joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment meeting, proposing that the panel adopt Gov. Butch Otter’s forecast. That’s actually lower than the committee members’ own estimates. “In historical terms, we’ve had some colorful and large deliberations…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| Jan. 2017 | ||||
| 31 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 |
| 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 20 |
| 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 13 |
| 12 | 11 | 10 | 09 | 08 |
| 06 | 05 | 04 | 03 |
