Gov. Butch Otter’s tax-cut bill was introduced in the House Revenue & Taxation Committee this morning on a party-line vote, with the panel’s two Democrats dissenting. The nine-page bill would conform Idaho’s income tax code to federal changes, including the doubling of the standard deduction…
The House Health & Welfare Committee introduced a new version of the Idaho Health Care Plan dual-waiver bill this morning, and this time, it only drew one “no” vote, from Rep. Karey Hanks, R-St. Anthony. When the first version of the bill was introduced, Reps....
During the budget hearing this morning for the Idaho Public Defense Commission, Executive Director Kimberly Simmons told lawmakers that 43 of Idaho’s 44 counties applied for and received grants to boost their public defense efforts; training has been provided; standards have been promulgated, more are…
It’s another busy day at the Capitol today – and it’s also “Buy Idaho” day, when vendors fill three levels of the Capitol rotunda with booths, displays, product demonstrations, giveaways and more. Amid all that, there are budget hearings in JFAC this morning on the…
Idaho's House Democrats have released some of their personal financial information after a legislative committee recently refused to consider legislation requiring elected officials disclose their financial assets. Ten of the 11 House Democrats on Monday voluntarily publicized information about their employer, occupation and sources...
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Lt. Gov. Brad Little have hit the road to promote their executive order asking Idaho insurers to offer cheaper plans that don’t comply with all requirements of the Affordable Care Act, making stops Monday in Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene. The…
Idaho is the only state that provides no legal protections for breastfeeding mothers, either in public or private, Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d’Alene, told the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon, as he presented legislation to exempt breastfeeding mothers from Idaho’s indecent exposure law. The committee...
An Idaho Senate panel has introduced legislation requiring the state to provide information to women that medication-induced abortions can be halted after taking just one of two pills. If approved, women would be given a list of providers who can offer consultations about medical abortion interventions...
Gov. Butch Otter has named Twin Falls attorney Ben Cluff to the 5th District judgeship that was left vacant by Judge Richard Bevan’s appointment to the Idaho Supreme Court. An attorney in private practice in Twin Falls, Cluff holds a law degree from the University...
Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, brought new legislation to the House Revenue & Taxation Committee this morning to amend last year’s bill on short-term vacation rentals, which sought to forbid Idaho communities from banning them, while also setting up a taxing mechanism. Nate said, “The new…
Friday was the deadline to file personal bills in the Idaho House, and more than a dozen were submitted, with all but three of them sponsored by outspoken Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard. All personal bills in the House are referred to the House Ways &...
After 40 minutes of debate, the House State Affairs Committee voted 14-1 this morning to introduce “stand your ground” legislation proposed by Rep. Christy Zito, R-Hammett, though numerous committee members had questions about the bill’s wording and how it would work. “I think it’s appropriate…
Idaho is down to 34 children in its “expanded access” program that’s currently treating children with severe, intractable epilepsy with a commercial version of CBD oil through a drug trial. Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator of the Division of Public Health Services in the state Department of...
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Idaho youth, according to Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator of the Division of Public Health Services, which had its budget hearing before lawmakers this morning. From 2012 to 2016, Shaw-Tulloch said, Idaho lost 105 school-age children, aged 6-18, to…
JFAC is opening a week of budget hearings on Health & Welfare related issues, with hearings Monday, Wednesday and Friday focusing on the budget for the Department of Health & Welfare, which currently has a budget of $706.1 million in state general funds, and $2.86…
Three Republican leaders who challenged Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's grocery tax veto last summer recently were disinvited to the weekly meetings he holds with the majority leadership team each session. However, after push-back from the speaker and pro tem, Otter reversed course...
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal to add a high-paid new CEO of higher education next year to oversee consolidating business functions among the state’s universities drew heavy flak in the state Legislature last week; you can read my full Sunday column here. Otter is proposing…
On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, host Melissa Davlin interviews outgoing JFAC Co-Chairs Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, and Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome; producer Seth Ogilvie reports on bail and pretrial issues and a possible constitutional amendment that’s in the works; and Davlin interviews...
A state board charged with contracting to have problem wolves killed asked state lawmakers for another $400,000 on Friday, though the board has received that amount from the state each of the past four years and currently has $1.4 million in the bank; you can read my...
The Ada County Assessor’s Office is still awaiting a response from Idaho Rep. Priscilla Giddings as to why the White Bird Republican deserved the $1,200 tax break she received in 2016. The office sent Giddings a “notice of intent” last November, saying it intends to collect back taxes after she erroneously received a homeowner’s exemption...
“Last year was a year of plentiful water, sometimes too plentiful, particularly across southern Idaho but also other areas of the state,” Idaho Department of Water Resources Director Gary Spackman told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning. Reservoirs are at historic levels, he said, and...
A light but widely felt earthquake has shaken southern Idaho, northern Utah and western Wyoming. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.3 quake at about 8:30 p.m. was centered about 8 miles southeast of Soda Springs, Idaho...
The University of Idaho and other state-funded entities would be prohibited from hiring lobbyists or attempting to influence state lawmakers under legislation introduced Thursday in a House committee. Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, told the House State Affairs Committee her bill...
A decade ago, the Idaho School for the Deaf & Blind in Gooding served a limited number of Idaho children. But since its reorganization in 2009 into Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and Blind, the program has now expanded into a statewide network that...
Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on today’s public school budget hearing, in which Sherri Ybarra, Idaho’s state superintendent of schools, made a strong pitch to lawmakers increase state spending on schools by 6.8 percent next year, with the biggest portion of...