Idaho's legislative minority party says it's unhappy with the governor's holdback plan, but the Democrats, like Otter, also say they oppose raising taxes to cope with the state's budget shortfall. Senate Minority Leader Kate Kelly, D-Boise, said the Dems would prefer to tap more of…
Here's a link to the governor's holdbacks from state agency budgets, broken out by agency, showing both the dollar amounts and percentages for each agency.
Colleges and universities will take a 6 percent hit under Gov. Butch Otter's new budget holdbacks, as will community colleges - even as they see enrollment swell due to the down economy. Asked how higher ed will handle that, after already taking big budget cuts,…
Gov. Butch Otter plan for coping with the $151 million budget shortfall this year calls for covering 65 percent through holdbacks - new, mid-year budget cuts - and working with agency heads to find additional savings to cover the final $50 million. "If we can't,…
Layoffs could be part of the new 4 percent holdbacks Gov. Butch Otter ordered today, but Otter said he'll leave that up to agency directors. "I'm going to let that director, that cabinet member, call those shots," he said. "They are the managers. I trust…
Gov. Butch Otter has announced plans for a "tiered" holdback, cutting the state's budget back mid-year by 4 percent, but with varying amounts for each agency. "The message I want to leave with you today is that we've been here before and we can do…
A BSU associate professor of physics, Byung Kim, has been awarded a three-year, $240,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for his novel scanning probe microscope. “It will be the first instrument of its kind in the world,” said Kim. The Korean-born BSU professor has…
The Idaho AAA says gas prices in Idaho are now the ninth highest in the nation and they're "refusing to budge," even as prices are falling in other states. "The peak driving season is over and prices in the rest of the country have dropped…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has called a press conference for tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. "for an important announcement on his plan for dealing with an impending revenue shortfall." The governor's been reviewing proposals from state agencies and meeting with legislative leaders for the past two…
Idaho’s next state transportation director could be someone from an entirely different field who’s never worked in transportation. The Idaho Transportation Board, which already has winnowed a field of 126 applicants down to a short list of a dozen, advertised for someone with leadership skills,…
The recession and high unemployment rates are altering how Idaho residents live, according to new data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau: More families have both parents working or looking for work; more households have had extended family members move in; more grandparents are…
Those commemorative wolf tags that Fish & Game has authorized to be auctioned off to the highest bidders won't be offered just to Idahoans - one of the six auctions by nonprofit groups, which will be for Tag No. 1, will take place in North…
When Idaho lawmakers raised the homeowner's exemption from property tax from a maximum of $50,000 to a maximum of $75,000 in 2006, they also tied future changes in the exemption to the Idaho Housing Price Index, which tracks home prices in Idaho. That's meant it's…
An article today on Politico.com says Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick has floated a new plan for financial regulation reform - an alternative to President Obama's proposal - that's drawing support from his fellow Blue Dog conservative Democrats and others in Congress. Minnick told Politico, "I'm…
As Gov. Butch Otter ponders whether to make additional cuts in Idaho's already much-trimmed state budget, he faces a dilemma: Budget cuts could trim state jobs, at the same time that a precipitous drop in jobs is what's driving Idaho's state budget crunch. In August,…
Idaho's got bipartisan legislation in the works to ban texting while driving, a move roughly two dozen states already have made. Sen. Les Bock, D-Boise, proposed similar legislation this year, but now he's got a high-profile co-sponsor on board: House Transportation Chairwoman JoAn Wood, R-Rigby.…
Here's a news item from AP: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho congressman says a provision in the student aid bill House lawmakers passed Thursday will allow troops to more easily transfer academic credits they've earned while serving to four-year colleges. Democratic U.S. Rep. Walt…
GOP congressional hopeful Vaughn Ward has secured the endorsements of two more county Republican chairmen, Al Cole of Lewiston, who is the party's Nez Perce County chair; and Bill Dire Jr. of Wallace, who is the party's Shoshone County chair. This follows his earlier announcement…
Freshman Idaho Sen. Jim Risch is the 13th wealthiest member of Congress, according to a new analysis by Roll Call newspaper, and is richer than the late Ted Kennedy, Sen. John McCain or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Risch doesn't dispute the report, but declined to…
Idaho has borrowed more than $51 million from the federal government since July 1 to bail out its unemployment insurance trust fund, despite a 70 percent tax rate increase for Idaho employers this year. It gets worse: The state expects the borrowing to rise to…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on how the Idaho Fish & Game Commission is planning to authorize the auction of 10 "special wolf tags" to the highest bidders - even if they may not be all that special, considering that 15,339…
Former Eagle Mayor Nancy Merrill has been named Idaho's new state parks director, the state Board of Parks and Recreation announced today. “The Board selected Nancy Merrill from among some very qualified candidates and because of her abilities to work collaboratively with diverse groups of…
Gov. Butch Otter, in his monthly "Project 60" message today, touts optimism and attitude as keys to the state's economic recovery. "One message came through loud and clear from my recent Business Summit with representatives of all kinds of companies from throughout Idaho: There’s a…
Idaho's Fish & Game Commission will hold a meeting, via conference call, tomorrow morning to authorize "special wolf tags" that would be auctioned off as a fundraiser for wolf management and conservation. Like special tags for bighorn sheep, the special wolf tags would be auctioned…
Vaughn Ward, the decorated Iraq war veteran and former McCain-Palin campaign official, and Ken Roberts, the Idaho House majority caucus chairman from Donnelly, are announcing dueling endorsements in their face-off for a shot at challenging 1st District Congressman Walt Minnick. Ward today announced the endorsement…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
