The House Health & Welfare Committee has announced that it’ll hold a “listening session” on Tuesday morning, starting at 9 a.m. in Room EW 20, on contract management of non-emergency medical transportation under the state Department of Health & Welfare’s controversial new contract with Veyo,…
It’s looking like it’ll be Thursday, rather than Tuesday, when Senate Transportation Chairman Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, holds a hearing on proposed big new investments in transportation in Idaho in his committee. Brackett said this afternoon that he’s working on a series of changes to his…
It is soooo warm out there! The Boise Airport reported a temperature of 66 degrees at 3:30, but it feels much warmer out there in the sun. Like maybe 10 degrees warmer…
The Spokesman-Review has begun featuring a lawmaker from Idaho and Washington in a mini-profile on our Sunday legislative page; a week ago, we featured JFAC Co-Chair Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, and in yesterday’s edition, it was Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, an A-10 fighter pilot…
All the testimony was in favor, from an array of sportsmen’s groups and the Idaho Farm Bureau, and the Idaho Fish & Game “price lock” fee increase, along with a surcharge to cover depredation and access, has cleared the Senate Resources Committee on a unanimous…
First- through 8th-graders who won prizes in the “Invent Idaho” state competition are in the fourth-floor rotunda of the Capitol today with their inventions, showing them off from 11:30 to 1:30. The inventions will remain on display until 4 p.m. The state finals were held…
The Senate seems rather divided today. It just voted 18-16 in favor of HB 46, the sign language interpreter bill, sending the House-passed measure to the governor’s desk. Already today, the Senate has killed two bills on fairly narrow votes, a massage therapy bill on...
Idaho senators have voted 24-10 in favor of legislation allowing Idahoans to exceed the speed limit by 15 mph when passing on two-lane highways, despite a warning from Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, that “this is going to kill people.” “We have pushed speed limits in…
With no debate, the Senate has voted 14-20 against HB 7, legislation regarding state-registered massage therapy schools. The bill, which earlier passed the House on a 39-30 vote, would have authorized the state Board of Massage Therapy to review and approve curriculum standards for...
The Senate has killed bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Senate Transportation Chairman Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, and Minority Leader Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, to ban “rolling coal” or "coal rolling," a process through which a diesel vehicle operator purposely modifies the vehicle in order to release big quantities…
The Senate State Affairs Committee made relatively short work of passing an update to the state’s notary public laws this morning, approving HB 209 after a series of questions from senators to an official from the Idaho Secretary of State’s office, focusing on the fees…
Legislation reversing two anti-abortion laws in Idaho is headed to the Senate floor, the AP reports. Earlier this year, a federal judge agreed to give the Idaho Legislature time to repeal two laws banning women from receiving abortion-inducing medication through telemedicine...
With lawmakers pondering $300 million more in GARVEE bonding as part of a possible transportation package, it’s time for a refresher. GARVEE is something of an acronym (kind of) for Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle, a mechanism created by Congress to allow states to borrow against…
Legislation to change Idaho’s procedure for special elections when an Idaho member of Congress leaves office mid-term – no such election has ever been held in Idaho history – cleared the Senate State Affairs Committee this morning. HB 197 earlier passed the House, 58-7. Though…
If all reps were like Heather Scott The bills would be read a whole lot Then notary bills Would serve up fresh kills And all routine stuff would be fought.
Signs of spring are everywhere, even though we’re officially a week away – from the time change to basketball talk to rising tensions in the Statehouse, a Boise spring tradition. Afternoons are suddenly surprisingly warm. There’s a sudden profusion of box-elder bugs, sunning themselves on…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
