Idaho's House and Senate minority caucuses have voted to close their meetings to the public, after having them open to the public for nearly a decade while GOP caucuses remained closed. "This change is effective immediately," according to a press release from Democratic leadership. "If…
A day of demonstrations has begun on this Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day, as an array of social-justice groups released "Facing Race, 2009 Legislative Progress Report on Racial Equity" at a rally on the east steps of the Capitol. The groups, the ACLU…
The Senate State Affairs Committee has voted unanimously to reject a rule proposed by the Endowment Fund Investment Board to charge school districts a fee of up to $1,000 and up to 5 basis points for guarantees the board issues for districts' school bond issues.…
JFAC has started budget hearings for state agencies with the Legislative Services Office. It's the first of an array of hearings that will reveal how budget cuts have translated into changes on the ground in agencies throughout state government; also up today are the state…
Today is an official state holiday - Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day - but there's a reason all the lights are on in the state Capitol. Unlike all other state agencies, the state Legislature doesn't take holidays - it's in session. You'll find…
Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, has drafted legislation calling for setting up a state commission that would review all Idaho state sales tax exemptions one or more times every eight years, and report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature, including whether each one should be…
Here's a link to the first week of Idaho's legislative session in pictures, as a slide show. Let your cursor hover over the bottom part of the picture frame, and the captions will appear as the slide show plays. Tonight on Idaho Public Television's Idaho…
Gov. Butch Otter and First Lady Lori Otter will present an official state proclamation Monday at the state's Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day celebration, which will begin Monday at noon on the second floor of the Idaho State Capitol, in the rotunda. The…
An Idaho state lawmaker says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration have decided against a plan to fluctuate Lake Pend Oreille's level by five feet this winter, a move that would generate more power but threatened to erode shorelines, shift…
The Idaho State Board of Education, in a special meeting, has voted unanimously, 7-0, to approve the state's application for "Race to the Top" federal grant funds. State Schools Supt. Tom Luna proposed the grant application, which includes a pilot program on teacher incentive pay,…
There was quite a bit of interest in the first speaker to address a rather obscure subcommittee of the House Resources Committee today: State Parks Director Nancy Merrill. She's at the center of one of Gov. Butch Otter's most controversial budget cuts for next year…
The deal struck between Gov. Butch Otter, House Speaker Lawerence Denney and Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes - to hit public schools with a new budget holdback but let districts that can't come up with their share of the $27.9 million in cuts borrow from…
While the world is reeling over the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti, the Idaho Legislature has been hit with several personal tragedies this week involving its members and former members. The wife of Rep. Jim Marriott, R-Blackfoot, passed away Wednesday. The grandson of Rep.…
The House Majority Caucus went behind closed doors this afternoon for an hour and a half, concerned about the latest state tax revenue figures and their implications on state budgeting. "What would be nice is to have the crystal ball," said House Majority Caucus Chair…
At a joint meeting of the House and Senate transportation committees this afternoon, state transportation officials told lawmakers they're scrambling to prepare for what they're calling "Stimulus II," federal legislation also known as the 2010 Jobs Bill that could potentially bring another $182 million to…
State employees would be able to donate twice as much leave time to other state workers, under legislation introduced in the Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee today at the request of the Otter Administration. Wayne Hammon, acting human resources director for the state, said…
The U.S. Forest Service will get an additional $14 million to battle bark beetles in Idaho, where the bugs have chewed through 1.3 million acres, reports S-R reporter Becky Kramer; you can read her story here at spokesman.com. The beetles leave mountainsides covered with red…
Cleanup of contaminated residential yards and other properties in the Coeur d'Alene Basin is so far ahead of schedule that state lawmakers today authorized speeding up spending to do even more work this year. "We've been very, very pleased with what the contractors in North…
Here's why the Joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee canceled its meeting that was supposed to be today, the meeting at which the panel chooses a revenue figure on which it recommends setting the state budget: They're waiting for the latest state tax revenue…
The House State Affairs Committee has voted 13-4 to introduce legislation proposed by Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, to eliminate the current $1 checkoff on tax returns through which Idahoans can donate to political parties. The money doesn't come out of people's refunds, so doing the…
JFAC has voted to pay off its first big bill, the $7.2 million left from firefighting in the fiscal year that ended on June 30 of 2009. Last year, the Legislature changed its usual procedure for paying wildfire bills so it knows in advance what…
Legislative budget writers this morning reviewed Gov. Butch Otter's proposal to trim more than 400 positions from the state payroll, most of which already are vacant. Wayne Hammon, Otter's budget chief, presented a report showing a total reduction of 463, including 379 positions that already…
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna today explained why his figures on looming cuts in school budgets are different from those in the governor's budget presentation: He's not counting just state general funds, but all funds. Luna, who held a round-table with reporters today to…
The Legislature's Health Care Task Force just split 7-5 in favor of a resolution by co-chairman Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, opposing congressional health care reform legislation and backing Gov. Butch Otter in his fight against it. Cameron said he was "appalled" at what he said…
Members of the House and Senate education committees raised questions about state Schools Supt. Tom Luna's application for federal "Race to the Top" grant funds at a joint hearing this morning. "I see a flaw in this process - at no point were legislators involved,"…
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