Attorney General Wasden’s budget narrowly clears Idaho House

BOISE – Idaho House lawmakers used Attorney General Lawrence Wasden’s budget plan for fiscal year 2018 to highlight their displeasure with the chief legal officer’s recent agreement to repeal two anti-abortion laws.

House members voted 40-30 on the attorney general’s budget Monday, a narrow vote in a Legislature that typically displays overwhelming support for funding proposals once they are set by budget writers.

However, GOP lawmakers have expressed a growing disapproval against Wasden’s office this legislative session. Particularly after Wasden announced he had reached a settlement with Planned Parenthood over a legal dispute banning women from receiving abortion-inducing medication through telemedicine.

Critics argue that Wasden did not properly defend the Legislature’s desire to limit this type of abortion service.

Wasden’s settlement prevented the ban from being deemed unconstitutional and unenforceable by a federal judge.