Idaho governor faces deadline to sign, veto remaining bills

BOISE– Gov. Butch Otter has until the end of Friday to approve or kill any remaining bills passed by Idaho’s Republican-controlled Statehouse this year. As of Friday morning, the third-term governor had vetoed two pieces of legislation and signed a total of 346 bills into law.

Nearly 30 bills still await his signature.

Earlier this week, Otter vetoed a bill that would have explicitly allowed the Bible to be used public schools, citing that the legislation was illegal and would result in costly litigation.

He also vetoed a proposal that would have provided community health clinics with $5.4 million to study 78,000 Idahoans who don’t qualify for medical insurance.

Last year, Otter was hit with a lawsuit after attempting to veto legislation banning lucrative gaming machines known as instant horse racing. The Idaho Supreme Court later ruled that Otter failed to veto the bill on time.