As promised, Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has filed his legal challenge to state cabin-site rents on endowment-owned lands in 4th District Court in Ada County. You can read his complaint here and brief here; Wasden is asking for a preliminary injunction and a declaratory…
The House, at long last, has announced its committee assignments and adjourned. They include a shakeup in chairmanships. Click below for the complete list.
Rep. Bob Schaefer, R-Nampa, reportedly is out as chairman of the House Commerce & Human Resources Committee, in a shuffling of committee responsibilities that has that panel taking on some duties that now go to the Health & Welfare Committee, and former Health & Welfare…
There's still been no announcement in the House on committee assignments or even on chairmanships, but word is starting to dribble out. Rep. Bob Nonini confirms that he'll continue to chair the House Education Committee. "I'm glad," Nonini said. He said he had lunch with…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Government workers and teachers may avoid a planned increase in their pension contributions that could cost them hundreds of dollars after a key lawmaker asked the board overseeing their $10 billion retirement account…
It's still hurry-up-and-wait time in the House, where the majority leadership was huddled behind closed doors much of the day trying to figure out committee chairmanships and assignments. Now, chairmanships reportedly have been worked out, but there's been no announcement, and representatives are lining up…
The Senate is back on the floor, and is reading over the desk its committee assignments and chairmanships for the 2011 legislative session. Click below for the full list. Here, the committees appointed to inform the House and the governor that the Senate is organized…
The special House Ethics Committee to look into the conduct of Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, will meet on Dec. 13 at 11 a.m., its chairman, Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, said today. "We're going to have our first meeting to determine whether or not to go…
The Idaho Senate has named all its committee chairs, and three are new: Sen. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, will chair the Resources & Environment Committee; Sen. Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston, will chair the Local Government & Taxation Committee; and Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene, will chair…
Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene, is the new chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. He said he'll be the first transportation chair from North Idaho in some time. "It's exciting to have that position and be able to advocate for our roads issues up there,"…
Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo and Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, released a joint statement today saying they'll support the recommendations of the President's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, on which both serve, even while calling them "flawed and incomplete." They said, "Everyone in America…
Idaho Congressman-elect Raul Labrador has named his chief of staff: John Goodwin, who most recently worked as a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, Goodwin was communications director for Rep. Peter Roskam of Illinois and press secretary for Rep.…
The Senate gallery had eager onlookers this morning, watching as senators picked their new seats in the Senate chamber - many were family members of the senators, including spouses, kids and grandkids. After seat selection and other formalities were done, the Senate recessed until 3…
The Senate has now convened, sworn in its members, and formally elected Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, as the new president pro-tem of the Senate. Next up is seat selection, in order of seniority.
Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, didn't win his race last night for leadership, challenging House Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, but Nonini said this morning, "I was glad I put my hat in the ring. I think our caucus deserved choices." He said he…
The House is on the floor, beginning its organizational session, starting with the formal election of the speaker and then swearing-in of the representatives, followed by selection of seats. The Senate hasn't started yet. Today's agenda, aside from the formalities, includes lots of behind-the-scenes negotiating…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney says he's appointed an ethics committee to look into a complaint filed by Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, about the conduct of Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, including Hart's 1996 theft of timber from school endowment land for use in building his…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the outcome of leadership contests in all four legislative caucuses tonight. There was no change in the House GOP caucus, where Speaker Lawerence Denney and Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke were unopposed, while Majority Leader…
Senate Minority Caucus leadership decisions are in, and there's a shake-up: Sen. Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, is the new minority leader. The Assistant Minority Leader is Sen. Les Bock, D-Boise; and the caucus chair is Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum.
Senate Republican leadership elections are done, and the new Senate President Pro-Tem is Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, who defeated Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian. Sen. Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, held his seat as majority leader over a challenge from Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton. But there was…
All four caucuses of the Legislature - both houses and both parties - are meeting behind closed doors tonight to select their leadership for the upcoming session. First to report results is the House minority caucus, in which Minority Leader John Rusche, who was unopposed,…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on today's Idaho Supreme Court decision tossing out Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's constitutional challenge that charged that the state Land Board set rents for state-owned cabin sites too low, and Wasden's announcement that, based on the…
The final speakers at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference today were two members of the Legislature's leadership, Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, Senate assistant minority leader, and Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, House majority leader. Werk said there's "no free lunch," but the public apparently believes…
The Lewiston Tribune reports that another 12 Korean-manufactured modules have arrived at the Port of Lewiston, as part of Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil's plans to send 207 huge loads across U.S. Highway 12 through Idaho and Montana and up to Canada over the next year, though those…
Shoshone County Commissioner Jon Cantamessa was sharing his county's moves to cope with declining revenue, from freezing employee salaries to turning off lights to re-bidding health insurance contracts to avoid big cost increases, when he added this: "I do have one thing I want to…