PERSI, the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, dropped from $12 billion to $8.5 billion in the past year, losing $3.5 billion. "We're down 25 percent for calendar year '08," Jody Olson, chairman of the PERSI board, told JFAC this morning. In fiscal year 2008,…
Liquor sales in Idaho are actually up 4.7 percent over last year, state Liquor Dispensary Superintendent Dyke Nally told lawmakers this morning. That puts it at a record $135.4 million in sales, up from $130.8 million last year, $78 million in 2003 and $58.1 million…
Lawmakers are none too happy about how the state Department of Commerce had dealt with its budget cutbacks in part by sharply cutting into state funding for rural economic development grants. "We're in tough times, and every agency has had to deal with holdbacks in…
Last year, Idaho passed an incentive program to attract film production to the state, but didn't fund it. This morning, Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, asked state Commerce Director Don Dietrich whether that ended up helping us or hurting us as far as attracting such businesses.…
Rep. Phylis King, D-Boise, left, and Boise School District Superintendent Stan Olson, right, discuss the impact of proposed state budget cuts on the Boise school district. Boise-area legislators invited Olson and other local district officials to the Capitol Annex for the discussion. House Education Chairman…
Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, who cast the only "no" vote in the House today on HB 61, the bill that makes the 4 percent holdbacks permanent plus adds to them, said he voted against the bill for two reasons. First, "I didn't think it was…
The Idaho Fish & Game Department has revised its proposed fee increase to make it more "modest," the department announced today. "In the light of tough economic times, Idaho Fish and Game has scaled back a proposed revenue increase to an overall 15 percent instead…
Gov. Butch Otter, who a week ago had shoulder surgery and who's been out recovering, is back at work now, at least part-time. Today, he's meeting with the co-chairs of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee about the latest state revenue figures; he's scheduled to meet with…
Legislation making the 4 percent holdbacks in this year's state budget permanent - plus adding a bit more by cutting one-time funds - has cleared the House on a 68-1 vote. "This bill is key to balancing the fiscal year 2009 budget," House Appropriations Chairwoman…
Budget cuts at the Idaho Department of Water Resources won't stop the North Idaho water rights adjudication, but they'll slow it down, state Water Resources Director David Tuthill told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning. Among the department's budget cuts are five of the 11…
Among the state Tax Commission's efforts to "mitigate" the potential $7.5 million loss in state revenue due to cutting year-round temporary audit workers as part of state budget cuts, are shifting additional duties to full-time employees, re-evaluating all support positions, some additional automation that's in…
This year's 4 percent holdbacks prompted the state Tax Commission to impose a hiring freeze on full-time positions, impose a mandatory two-day furlough on all but its lowest- paid workers, reduce wages for tax-season temporary employees, and eliminate 58 year-round temporary positions, workers who were…
Royce Chigbrow, chairman of the Idaho State Tax Commission, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning, "Our tax system depends on the voluntary cooperation of our citizens and businesses," and the Tax Commission has been working to "sustain the voluntary nature of the tax system."…
As the fourth week of the legislative session wrapped up, Senate Assistant Minority Leader Elliot Werk, D-Boise, left, and House Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, joined the panel on Idaho Reports to discuss the latest developments. Here they are at the Idaho Public TV…
House Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, said he's met with Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, and state schools Superintendent Tom Luna, and they've agreed to schedule three days of joint education committee hearings on legislation to change various state laws to allow…
Funding to implement the new Coeur d'Alene Lake Management Plan is the only new budget item Gov. Butch Otter is recommending in next year's budget for the state Department of Environmental Quality, which is facing a proposed 16.1 percent cut in its state general funds…
Asked about rumors that the state Department of Parks and Rec plans to close three state parks, state Parks Director Bob Meinen told legislative budget writers this morning that there are no such plans - yet. "A lot of what we do in the near…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the latest developments on the local-option tax issue - the House speaker is blocking bills there that don't include constitutional amendments, but says they could go to the Senate; the Senate chairman says he won't…
Senate Tax Chairman Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, says he's not likely to introduce local-option tax legislation in his committee this year, even though House Speaker Lawerence Denney said he saw no problem with senators doing so - since Denney's blocking such bills from being considered in…
This year's version is 89 pages long, plus another separate bill on funding that's a mere eight pages. The aim: Reform Idaho's election system so that all local elections, whether they're for city, county, sewer district, cemetery district, school board or what have you, are…
Idaho likely is looking at more budget holdbacks during the current budget year - or dipping into rainy-day funds - just to make it through, Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes and House Speaker Lawerence Denney warned today. "There are plans being made to continue to…
The Senate has voted 31-3 in favor of SB 1015, which would require the state Fish & Game Department to ask all other 49 states if they want any of Idaho's wolves. "The question is whether we need to kill wolves to protect livestock and…
Fish and Game officials say sales of fishing and hunting licenses to state residents have remained steady despite Idaho's shaky economy, the AP reports. Fish and Game Director Cal Groen told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning that as the economy worsens, people want to…
The House State Affairs Committee got hung up when Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, objected to a clause in a bill from Rep. Steve Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, that sought to outlaw Internet harassment, because it listed "MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Twitter" along with personal blogs. Labrador asked…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney is not allowing any local-option tax bill to be considered in the House unless it contains a constitutional amendment, a restriction opposed by many local-option backers. "That has been my position, that if it's not a constitutional amendment, I'm not interested,"…
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