Gov. Butch Otter's plan to revamp state agencies, eliminating two, got a cold reception Friday from House and Senate budget writers, the AP reports, another sign the new chief executive and the 2007 Legislature are still struggling to define their relationship. At a Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee hearing Friday, lawmakers from both parties said Otter's moves to trim government and make it more efficient may be laudable, but they've yet to see any actual analysis showing how the moves will benefit Idaho taxpayers. Read AP reporter John Miller’s full story here in today’s Spokesman-Review.

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