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Eye On Boise archive for March 5, 2009

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009

'Trying to reach common ground'

House Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, is praising the work of a bipartisan group of legislators that's been meeting for three weeks to craft consensus legislation on how to temporarily suspend various state laws to allow cuts in Idaho's budget for public schools. Nonini's…

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They want how much for what?? 

It's all online now - Gov. Butch Otter has posted on the Internet a list of all proposals submitted to his Division of Financial Management for consideration for federal stimulus funding. You can see the list here. The governor encourages anyone who submitted a request…

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Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, has withdrawn his legislation to allow people to get their criminal records expunged if they're not convicted, including records of trials and arrests. Emboldened by support for the concept among House members, he's working on a farther-reaching bill to propose next year. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)

Hart withdraws expungement bill 

Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, has withdrawn his bill to allow people to ask a judge to expunge all their criminal records if they're not convicted, including records of trials and arrests. Hart said he was encouraged by the defeat last week of HB 71, a…

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Internet harassment bill dead 

Freshman Rep. Steve Hartgen's controversial Internet harassment bill is dead for the session; it was on the House Judiciary Committee's agenda this afternoon, but was withdrawn at the sponsor's request. "I got a lot of very positive comments on the concept, but there were questions…

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Idaho Schools Supt. Tom Luna talks with lawmakers at the Capitol Annex on Thursday, as he briefed lawmakers on his recommendation to Gov. Butch Otter for $62 million in cuts in public schools next year, despite receiving millions in federal stimulus money. Luna said the federal money helps, but without cuts in addition, Idaho's education funding is facing a "cliff." (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)

Luna to Otter: 'Take every penny'

GOP state schools Supt. Tom Luna says he was among those who opposed passage of the huge federal stimulus package, but, “I’m also very pragmatic when it comes to the stimulus dollars. … The fact is, this is a bill and the money’s coming," he…

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The 'Thelma and Louise scenario' 

Defending his proposal to cut $62 million from schools next year rather than dip into the state’s $114 million public education stabilization fund, State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna told lawmakers this morning, “Let me give you the Thelma and Louise scenario – this is…

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The 'stem the bleeding' package

Mike Rush, director of the Office of the State Board of Education, says rather than “stimulus package,” he likes to refer to the federal bill as “the stem-the-bleeding package.” He told JFAC this morning, “We think it will act much like a Band-Aid does –…

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Lots of requests for stimulus money...

Gov. Butch Otter will release the first – long – list of stimulus funding requests he’s received this afternoon at 4. Otter’s press secretary, Jon Hanian, said today’s list will be just the request from non-governmental organizations; those from government agencies will follow on Tuesday.…

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Eye On Boise

News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.