Idaho lawmakers will once again be asked to consider joining fellow Republican-dominated states calling for a constitutional amendment to limit federal government power. The House State Affairs Committee introduced legislation Thursday calling for a convention of states...
While many education leaders spent Thursday morning listening to state superintendent Sherri Ybarra’s budget pitch, other news broke on the K-12 beat, writes Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News: One to redefine and update sex education in Idaho schools; and another to wean Idaho off…
Rep. Dorthy Moon, R-Stanley, successfully introduced a bill this morning to legalize cannabidiol oil, also known as CBD oil, in the House Health & Welfare Committee, writes reporter Marissa Morrison of KIVI-TV. The legislation sets up a registration system under the state Board of Pharmacy,…
An Idaho House panel has introduced legislation banning state agencies, universities and school districts from hiring lobbyists to influence state lawmakers. Rep. Priscilla Giddings, a Republican from White Bird, says taxpayer dollars should not be used to advocate for a bill's passage or defeat. Multiple taxing districts across the state hire...
Republicans on an Idaho House panel have once against agreed to introduce anti-Sharia law legislation designed to prevent Idaho courts from making decisions based on Islamic or other foreign legal codes. This is the third year in a row Rep. Eric Redman, a Republican from Athol, has backed legislation...
After her budget presentations to lawmakers today, state schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra said, “The feeling was good.” She wasn’t surprised she didn’t get more questions on her detailed school budget presentation, she said, because, “We do have a good working relationship – I don’t create…
In state schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra’s budget request for her office next year, she’s requesting a 6 percent increase in state funding, while Gov. Butch Otter is recommending just a 3.6 percent increase. Otter is going along with Ybarra’s request to cover costs for the…
In addition to highlighting the teacher career ladder as her top request in the public school budget for next year, state schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra is highlighting requests for anti-bullying programs under the Safe & Drug-Free Schools program; additional funding for advanced opportunities for students;...
Sherri Ybarra, state schools superintendent, said her top priority for next year – and the top request she heard from education stakeholders across the state – was to continue funding the teacher “career ladder,” which for next year means spending another $41.7 million. It’s already…
Idaho state Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra told legislative budget writers this morning that she is “truly honored to come before you a fourth time on behalf of Idaho’s children.” She’s proposing a 6.8 percent increase in state general funds for K-12 public schools...
It’s another super-busy day at Idaho’s state Capitol today, with the budget hearing on K-12 public schools – the single largest slice of the state general-fund budget, at 48.8 percent – starting at 8 a.m. Also starting at 8 a.m., the House State Affairs Committee…
The House Health and Welfare Committee received an hour-long presentation Wednesday on the benefits of an innovative set of waivers designed by state agencies to address rising health insurance costs and make cheaper private insurance plans available to those in the Medicaid gap.“This approach will make a difference in thousands...
The Idaho Senate voted 34-1 today in favor of SB 1208, legislation from Senate Judiciary Chair Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, to expand the state’s current program that allows inmate labor to be used by Idaho farmers. Lodge, who also sponsored the original legislation in 2014,…
Concerned about soaring health care costs, Idaho on Wednesday revealed a plan that will allow insurance companies to sell cheap policies that ditch key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, the AP reports. It’s believed to be the first state to take formal steps without...
Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Burdick’s voice broke as he announced to the House today that two Idaho judges have recently died – 5th District Judge Randy Stoker on Jan. 8, and 4th District Magistrate Judge William Harrigfeld on Dec. 13. They’re just the latest in an unprecedented string of judicial vacancies in the state...
Singer and actress Cher has endorsed Democratic state Rep. Paulette Jordan in the race to become Idaho's next governor. Cher tweeted Wednesday that she met Jordan at the Las Vegas women's march and said Idahoans would be well served under Jordan's leadership...
When a routine bill from the state Tax Commission came up for a vote in the House today – to conform 2017 Idaho income tax laws to federal changes, which is expected to have only minimal fiscal impact in Idaho – Reps. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg,...
Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, today endorsed conservative activist and end-times author Michael Snyder of Bonners Ferry in the 1st District GOP congressional primary, which already is crowded with a slew of other better-known Idaho Republicans. Snyder held a press conference on the Statehouse steps today...
The two major budget requests for next year from the University of Idaho – for Phase 2 of a library expansion for which lawmakers funded the first phase last year, and for funding and 3.8 positions to address needs of students with mental health issues…
University of Idaho President Chuck Staben told lawmakers in his budget presentation this morning, “The U of I has made great progress as an institution. … My presidency remains focused on growing U of I’s enrollment and leading an improvement in Idaho’s college-going culture.” Staben…
The Idaho Statesman, in a front-page story today, reports that public records requests have revealed that a harassment complaint from a teenage House page last year wasn’t just about “mildly flirty” comments from Rep. James Holtzclaw, as previously reported; it also included complaints about the…
An Idaho Senate panel has narrowly agreed to introduce legislation allowing parents to opt out of vaccinating their children with a simple letter rather than using a state form. Sen. Dan Foreman, a Republican from Moscow, argued Tuesday that the bill clarifies state law...
A special informational hearing on the Idaho Health Care Plan, the dual-waiver proposal from the Otter Administration, will be held Wednesday morning, starting at 9 a.m. MT in the Lincoln Auditorium. All legislators are invited; it also will be streamed live online. No public testimony…
Retiring Boise State University President Bob Kustra, in his final budget presentation to lawmakers today, said heading the state’s largest university for the last 15 years has been “a job of a lifetime.” Kustra is the former elected lieutenant governor of Illinois; served in both…
When Boise State University President Bob Kustra addressed JFAC this morning, lawmakers asked him about the proposal for a higher education CEO. Kustra pulled no punches, saying BSU’s estimates of the savings of consolidating “back-office” services across Idaho’s public universities came in at $6 million,…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| May 2018 | April 2018 | March 2018 | Feb. 2018 |
| Jan. 2018 |
