It was nearly 7 p.m. in Boise when the House Judiciary Committee this evening finally voted 11-6 in favor of HB 581, the bipartisan bill sponsored by Reps. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, and Christy Perry, R-Nampa, to allow Idaho judges to vary from current mandatory minimum...
The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved SB 1341, the Foster Care Improvement Act, and sent it to the full Senate with a recommendation that it “do pass,” the Twin Falls Times-News reports. The bill would codify the common judicial practice of keeping siblings together whenever...
A bill backed by Idaho's top schools chief to develop a new rural schools network has once again failed to clear the Legislature. For the third year in a row, the AP reports, state lawmakers on Wednesday blocked a proposal to form a three-year pilot project in which rural schools would collaborate and share resources. The pilot project...
Idaho House members on Wednesday signaled they have little desire this year to consider legislation that would provide low-income women access to key health and family planning services. Lawmakers agreed without debate or discussion to delay voting on the Democratic-backed measure until March 21, the AP reports...
Idaho’s state tax revenues in February came in a whopping 36.3 percent ahead of forecasts, or $44.3 million ahead – marking the fourth consecutive month that general fund receipts have exceeded forecasts. Receipts have been ahead of forecasts every month so far this fiscal year...
The Senate has voted 30-5 in favor of HB 533, which raises the reimbursement rate that the state pays to county jails when it houses state prisoners there. The daily rate would rise from the current $45 to $55 for the first seven days that…
The Idaho Senate has voted 22-13 in favor of Rep. Lance Clow’s bill, HB 471, to crack down on freeway fast-lane slowpokes by making it illegal go slower than the speed limit in the fast lane “for a period of time,” impeding those who want…
The Senate has voted unanimously in favor of HB 549, Rep. Mike Moyle’s roadkill bill, sending the measure to the governor’s desk. The bill writes into state law current Idaho Fish & Game rules that allow the salvage of certain road-killed animals, with conditions, and…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, in a series of unanimous, 18-0 votes, set a budget for the Idaho Transportation Department this morning that covers the cost of replacing an aging state airplane without adding any funds; ITD will instead use personnel savings to cover the $1.5…
After a tense and emotional hearing lasting for nearly two hours, the House State Affairs Committee has voted along party lines in favor of SB 1243, Senate-passed legislation to require that women be provided information about reversing a medication-induced abortion part-way through. “That moment of…
JFAC bogged down in a big way this morning over the state Liquor Division budget, as Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise, led an ultimately unsuccessful move to try to reject funding for two new state liquor stores in the Treasure Valley – one of them in...
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
