Unlike the other community colleges in Idaho, the new College of Eastern Idaho is recommended for a substantial budget boost next year – as it begins its new life as a full community college; it formerly was Eastern Idaho Technical College, but voters approved the…
The College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, like CWI and North Idaho College, submitted several budget requests for next year that weren’t recommended for funding in Gov. Butch Otter’s budget proposal. CSI President Jeff Fox requested $774,800 for a new software platform; $67,500 in…
College of Western Idaho President Bert Glandon told lawmakers this morning that when the community college first opened to students in 2009, 1,200 students showed up. “Last week, our first classes for the spring semester, just shy of 30,000 students now call the College of...
Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed $5 million increase to the state’s Opportunity Scholarship fund, bringing it to a total of $15 million, came in for questioning in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee today; Otter also is proposing legislation to allow up to 20 percent, or $3 million,…
The governor’s proposal to consolidate an array of business functions at Idaho’s four-year college and universities includes $500,000 for a “systems integration consultant,” plus funding for a new executive officer to oversee the functions, at a salary of roughly $200,000. Matt Freeman, executive director of…
As the Legislature’s joint budget committee opens a full week of education budget hearings, state Board of Education President Linda Clark opened with an overview. She noted that while the K-12 public school budget for 2018 is 48.8 percent of the total state general fund…
The Idaho House last week greeted and applauded Erik Parker, a Hailey man who recently pleaded guilty to obstruction of a court order stemming from his actions during the 2014 standoff near Bunkerville, Nev., the Post Register reports...
Here’s a link to my full Sunday column, which reports on the Legislature’s hemming and hawing over truck registration fees – still not addressed, despite 2015 legislation declaring it was the “intent of the Legislature” to impose a new registration fee on commercial trucks to…
The second annual Boise women’s march drew thousands to the state Capitol on Sunday, where women, men and children spoke out on topics including equality, diversity, women’s health and sexual assault, KIVI news reports; their full report is online here, and KTVB has a photo…
Idaho 1st District GOP Rep. Raul Labrador, who is running for governor, issued this statement over the weekend on the government shutdown: “The Democrats are shutting down the government in order to give amnesty to illegal aliens. They are denying vital government services that American…
On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, host Melissa Davlin interviews Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, and Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee, about sexual harassment and respectful workplace policies; discusses health care, from the governor and lieutenant governor’s executive order to the dual-waiver proposal, with...
State Rep. Paulette Jordan, D-Plummer, will take next week off from the Legislature to campaign for governor, the Lewiston Tribune reports; she intends to bring in a substitute to cover for her for the week, so no votes will be missed. "This will allow me...
Today, on the deadline for filing personal bills in the Senate, Sen. Maryanne Jordan, D-Boise, filed a Medicaid expansion bill. “I did it because we are going to have substantive discussions this year on health care, and I think it’s important to continue to measure...
The co-chairs of the Legislature’s Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee, which held hearings on Idaho’s economy and heard testimony from economists, industry representatives and others about its prospects, presented its revenue estimate to JFAC this morning, and the joint budget committee voted unanimously to…
There wasn’t much to Lt. Gov. Brad Little’s budget request for his office, which has three employees – himself, his chief of staff, and an administrative assistant. When Little appeared before JFAC for his budget hearing this morning, he recalled interning for the joint budget…
Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf has been leading up to this for several years, and today he presented his budget request to lawmakers to modernize the state’s business systems – including the statewide accounting, payroll, and procurement systems and more. It’s a $102 million project...
The Public Employee Retirement Fund was up for its budget hearing this morning in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, and when Director Don Drum said, “This has been a really good 18 months for PERSI,” some JFAC members laughed at the understatement. The PERSI fund had…
A maintenance worker works on a security camera high above the 4th floor rotunda in a quiet Idaho state Capitol on Friday morning. As is common on Fridays early in the legislative session, few committee meetings are scheduled today as lawmakers head back home to...
An Idaho court has approved class-action status lawsuit for the case challenging Idaho’s public defense system as unconstitutional. The state of Idaho had strenuously opposed class action status for this case, arguing that the lawsuit should be limited to the four individuals who sued. The…
Democratic gubernatorial candidate A.J. Balukoff called yesterday for the Legislature to introduce legislation to repeal Idaho’s 6 percent sales tax on groceries. “The state is balancing its budget on the backs of working Idahoans every time they go to the grocery store and it’s time…
Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, moved to “accept the governor’s projections as reasonable,” and for 2018 set the EORAC projection for state general fund revenues for fiscal year at $3.6309 billion, and for 2019 at $3.8231 billion. His motion passed 15-1, with the only “no” vote...
“There are a range of different outlooks, but when you’re all kind of put together, you’re pretty close to where the governor is,” legislative budget analyst Keith Bybee told the Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee this afternoon. Each member of the joint committee has…
The Legislature’s joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee has convened this afternoon in room EW42 of the Capitol to set its revenue estimate, which will be submitted as a recommendation to JFAC. First, the panel is hearing from state Economist Derek Santos, who is…
The annual BSU Public Policy Survey is out, and it shows that Idahoans overwhelmingly believe the state budget should stay the same or be increased; nearly two-thirds think the current tax burden is about right; and if there were to be tax reform, they favor...
In a special meeting this afternoon, Idaho’s State Board of Education voted to endorse Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal for a higher education CEO; and also endorsed Otter’s push for a $5 million boost to the state’s Opportunity Scholarship fund. Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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