Gov. Butch Otter's budget chief, Wayne Hammon, said Tuesday that the governor's plan to eliminate all state funding for Idaho Public Television over the next four years was a "wake-up call for them to get on board" with budget cuts. Until now, Otter's aides have…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on how the debate over tax breaks intensified in Idaho today, with a Senate committee's decision to kill a popular tax break for homeless shelters that had unanimously passed the House, and a congressman's call for…
Legislation that had unanimously passed the House to grant a temporary, two-year sales tax exemption to non-profit homeless shelters in Idaho has been killed - unanimously - in the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee. Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, sponsor of HB 435, said after…
The Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee has agreed unanimously to support introduction of legislation proposed by Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, to require the Legislature to review all sales tax exemptions at least every five years, and put a five-year expiration date on any new…
Today's Idaho Land Board meeting turned into a packed, nearly five-hour marathon that ran through the lunch hour and 'til nearly 2 in the afternoon. "They didn't know that it was going to go that long," noted board secretary Susan Terry; the meeting had been…
Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes and House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke just finished a newsy and informative talk to the Idaho Press Club, including a Q-and-A exchange with reporters on everything from texting while driving to tax increases. "We're probably getting close to halfway…
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch hoisted a tall stack of paper onto the podium in the state Senate as he wrapped up his address to lawmakers this morning. "This is the original health care bill - it's about 3,000 pages," he told the Senate. "There's no…
Sen. Jim Risch has been escorted into the Senate chamber to address lawmakers. "Well, gosh, it's good to be home," he told them. Risch is the former Senate president pro-tem, former majority leader, as lieutenant governor served as president of the Senate. He praised the…
Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick, in his speech to the Senate today, suggested that lawmakers set up a "bipartisan commission of experts, appointed by the governor and Legislature, who would be tasked with offering ideas for closing next year's budget deficit by taking a fresh look…
Congressman Walt Minnick was escorted into the Senate chamber, and is now addressing the Senate. "Washington is not at all like Idaho - after all, we in Idaho do know how to handle snow," he said to chuckles. He added that Idaho knows how to…
Both Congressman Walt Minnick and Sen. Jim Risch are scheduled to address both the Senate and House today; tomorrow, Sen. Mike Crapo is scheduled.
Every seat is filled, and people are standing around the back and sides of the room and spilling out the door at the state Land Board meeting this morning, where the state's top five elected officials are taking on what's always been a thorny issue…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
