Here’s a link to the fifth 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…
The House Transportation Committee has approved the proposed new mountain biking special license plate, which will help raise funds to maintain and expand public trails open to mountain biking around the state. "Idaho has more trails than any other state in the lower 48," said…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the revenue decision in JFAC today, which set a budget target that will force deep cuts in the state budget, including another $69 million to be cut yet this year.
The House has unanimously passed resolutions commending the Boise State football team and the University of Idaho football team on their bowl wins this year, amid much merriment, including some House members yelling out "Go Vandals!" instead of "aye" in the voice vote on the…
Wayne Hammon, Gov. Butch Otter's budget chief, said his boss is supportive of JFAC's decision this morning to adopt the Legislature's revenue committee recommendations as the basis for setting the state budget, both for this year and next year, though those figures fall $69 million…
JFAC has now voted along party lines to adopt the revenue figure for fiscal year 2011 proposed by the Joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee, $2.29 billion. That's $59 million under what Gov. Otter has proposed spending next year in the budget he submitted…
Rep. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, has now moved to set the 2011 revenue figure at the number picked by the joint revenue committee - $2.29 billion. Sen. Shawn Keough seconded the motion. Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, made a substitute motion to adopt the governor's revised forecast…
The Democrats' substitute motion failed on a party-line vote, 4-16, though Sen. Dean Cameron first mistakenly voted yes, then changed his vote amid some chuckling. Then, the motion for the lower revenue figure set by the Joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee passed, also…
JFAC is getting ready to adopt revenue figures on which to base budget-setting for both the remainder of this year and next year. First up: They're looking at two motions, one for the governor's revised forecast for fiscal year 2010 showing a drop in revenues…
When Wayne Hammon, acting head of the Division of Human Resources as well as the governor's budget chief, concluded his presentation of the DHR budget to JFAC, a couple of committee members had questions about the division's decision to deposit $75,000 into the retirement account…
The Senate State Affairs Committee voted this morning, with one objection, to introduce a new version of "conscience" legislation from Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, that would permit any licensed health-care provider to refuse to provide a treatment, service or medication related to abortion, emergency contraception,…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
