Gov. Butch Otter has long talked of changing Idaho’s liquor license system, which limits liquor licenses on a strict, population-based quota system that’s driven up their value to $100,000-plus, while making exceptions for essentially anyone with the wherewithal to hire a lobbyist and push a…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney says amid Idaho's gloomy budget outlook, he's hearing lots of talk among state lawmakers about the federal economic stimulus legislation. "I fear there are those who will want to balance our budget with federal stimulus, and I don't know what that…
Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, introduced legislation today regarding float-homes, an often-contentious issues in North Idaho, but the bill's not particularly controversial. It changes a definition so that all float homes, regardless of which type of utility hookup and sewer lines they have, are classified…
House Tax Chairman Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, in whose committee all tax legislation generally starts, told Eye on Boise today, "I am absolutely amazed at the lack of bills in this committee this year." Reflecting for a moment on the state's budget crunch, he added, "Then…
Abraham Lincoln would be declared the honorary governor of Idaho Territory on Feb. 12, when the state celebrates the famous president's 200th birthday and unveils a newly relocated historic statue of Lincoln in front of Idaho's state capitol, under a resolution that just passed the…
Tim Mason, administrator of the state Division of Public Works, told legislative budget writers this morning, "The buildings don't know we're in a recession. A year from now the things that are wrong with the buildings will still be wrong and they'll be worse." The…
Presenting the state Division of Financial Management budget request to lawmakers this morning, Administrator Wayne Hammon said, "It's all zeroes - there's no inflation, no replacement costs, no line items." The division has laid off one employee, and is in the highest category for budget…
Wayne Hammon, Gov. Butch Otter's budget director, says the state's tax revenue shortfall for January is not $35 million. Preliminary figures show that the month's revenue fell short of the expected $267 million, Hammon said, but he's not ready to release the figure, and wouldn't…
As the Capitol Commission has its budget hearing this morning, Jeff Youtz, legislative services director, wrapped up the progress on the renovation of the state capitol by echoing an earlier comment from Capitol Commission acting Chairman Steve Hartgen: "Those four great words, on time, on…
Joseph Duncan, whose crimes against a North Idaho family in 2005 shocked the state, should stand trial for a 1997 child abduction and murder in California, a judge there has ruled. Duncan, who faces a possible fourth death sentence, is again asking to act as…
State Department of Administration Director Mike Gwartney was questioned by lawmakers this morning about his proposal to dip into the state's budget stabilization fund for $35 million next year to offset unfunded liability for state retiree health benefits - if his legislation doesn't pass to…
The state of Idaho gets 600 million emails a year, Greg Zickau, chief technology officer for the state Department of Administration, told JFAC this morning. "Five hundred and fifty million of those are spam," he said. And within those spam emails are threats - malware…
With lawmakers anxiously awaiting news on how state revenues fared in January, the preliminary version of the numbers - not yet final - is circulating like mad, showing a $35 million drop below projections. Final numbers should be coming soon. JFAC has been awaiting the…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s plan to trim the duties of the state Board of Education by moving a slew of agencies out from under its oversight has hit a snag: the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The division turns out to be one of the highest-performing…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
