Among the 51 bills that Gov. Butch Otter signed into law today was Rep. Paul Amador’s bill to exempt nursing mothers from Idaho’s public indecency and obscenity laws, HB 448; Rep. Priscilla Giddings’ bill to grant a property tax break to fully disabled veterans, HB…
Idaho will become the latest state to require women seeking medical abortions to be informed that drug-induced abortions may be halted halfway through, despite opposition from medical groups who say there is little evidence to support the claim. Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter quietly signed the proposal into law on Tuesday...
Just as he did earlier in JFAC, Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise, debated in the Senate this afternoon against a state Liquor Division budget that includes two new Treasure Valley stores, one of which likely will be in his district. Martin said he believes Idaho already...
The Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee held a hearing on HB 675 this afternoon, the bill to increase the child tax credit created in the earlier big income tax cut bill from $130 to $205 per child, and voted to advance it to the…
A proposal reversing a contentious 2016 law that made it easier for Idaho employers to sue former employees over non-compete agreements is headed to the governor's desk for consideration. House lawmakers approved the measure Tuesday despite some lawmakers saying the consequences of the current law...
Idaho officials have approved extending the contract of a financial adviser guiding the state through the process of reinvesting millions of dollars from the sale of commercial and residential real estate. The Idaho Land Board voted 5-0 Tuesday to retain Callan Associates through June 2019 at an annual cost of about $150,000...
A series of amendments to HB 658 proposed by Sen. Mark Harris, R-Soda Springs, the Senate sponsor of the anti-trespassing bill, have been approved by the Senate on divided but lopsided votes; while competing amendments from Senate Democrats - including one to strike the enacting…
The Senate has just resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole in its 14th Order, where it can amend bills, and the bill up for amendment is HB 658, the controversial trespassing crackdown bill that's been pushed by two Texas brothers who bought up…
Context: After the budget for the state Superintendent of Schools was unceremoniously killed on the House floor, JFAC reconvened today, under its able co-chairs, who crafted the successful new budget motion. So: The kids should all learn how to read And budgeting too must proceed…
If you are wondering why To tie on an ugly tie Big matters still pend Might majorities bend? Then all could adjourn sine die.
JFAC has voted 16-3 in favor of Rep. Maxine Bell’s motion for a new budget for the state Superintendent of Public Instruction that includes the statewide rollout next year of a new version of the Idaho Reading Indicator, which is currently in a pilot project...
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is back in session this morning to set a new budget for the office of the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, including the question of the Idaho Reading Indicator, the early-reading assessment test for children in kindergarten through the third grade...
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
