Legislation that had unanimously passed the House to grant a temporary, two-year sales tax exemption to non-profit homeless shelters in Idaho has been killed - unanimously - in the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee. Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, sponsor of HB 435, said after the vote, “I think they’re allowing their philosophy to cloud their judgment on people’s needs.” Committee members said they just couldn’t support continuing to pass individual sales tax exemptions, and that they can’t say that one charity is more deserving of a tax break than another/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

• Risch: People are coming to their senses/Eye On Boise
• Geddes, Bedke: Session almost halfway done/Eye On Boise
• Land Board wraps up marathon meeting/Eye On Boise
• House panel condemns federal cap and trade legislation/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter
• Public health districts seeing reductions/Brad Iverson-Long, Idaho Reporter
• Jarvis calls on feds to balance budget, pay off debt, oust UN/Brad Iverson-Long, Idaho Reporter

Question: Which Idaho chamber did the right thing -- the House, which voted unanimously to allow the sales tax exemption for homeless shelters? Or the Senate, which unanimously rejected the House bill?