Idaho EdNews surveyed the leading Republican and Democratic candidates for governor about Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal for a higher education CEO, and found none who were sold on the plan. EdNews reporter Kevin Richert writes that Republicans Tommy Ahlquist and Raul Labrador oppose the plan,…
Rep. Paul Shepherd, R-Riggins, today re-introduced his unsuccessful bill from last year attempting to set up a process through which Idaho lawmakers could nullify federal laws or rules or U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Without comment, the House State Affairs Committee voted to introduce Shepherd’s bill;…
Staff from the Office of Performance Evaluations uncovered major human resources problems in a state agency charged with nursing home oversight. Their report also documents the state’s challenges with finding facilities that accept individuals with complex conditions, even as Idaho’s elderly population grows rapidly...
The Idaho Water Resource Board has voted to spend $2.4 million on upgrades to Priest Lake recommended by a recent study, bringing the project within $150,000 of the full $5 million in funding it’ll need next year. Gov. Butch Otter is recommending $2.4 million in...
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…