Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
This morning, JFAC wrapped up three days of hearings on Health & Welfare budgets, with more troubling news about soaring caseloads, crimped funds and Idahoans being pushed onto public assistance by the economic downturn. Russ Barron, administrator of the Welfare Division, said, "The number of…
Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
Here's a news item from the AP: The State Board of Education wants to undo a law forbidding spouses of Idaho university presidents from being hired at the schools. Mark Browning, an Ed Board spokesman, told the House Education Committee Thursday university presidents often come…
Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
Congressional candidate Vaughn Ward said today he's adding three more stops to his planned 14-stop "official announcement tour" next week, in McCall, Fruitland and Weiser, making it a 17-stop tour. Ward and state Rep. Raul Labrador are vying for the GOP nomination in the 1st…
Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
Gov. Butch Otter has scheduled a press conference for Friday at 11 a.m. with Nancy Merrill, director of the state Department of Parks & Recreation, for "an important announcement about Parks and Recreation management." Otter's budget proposal for next year included a "conceptual" proposal to…
Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
Lawmakers are struggling with runaway costs in the state's Catastrophic Health Care Fund, thanks to the plunging economy that's thrown more Idahoans on the mercy of their county indigent programs when they have a health crisis. Counties pay up to $11,000 per case, and then…
Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Dan Eismann is giving his annual "State of the Judiciary" message to lawmakers today, first in the full House, then in the full Senate. In the House, he said, "In a word, the state of the Idaho judiciary is excellent."…
Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
The House State Affairs Committee has voted 16-1 in favor of HB 379, the proposal from Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, to do away with the tax form check-off through which Idaho taxpayers can donate $1 to the political party of their choice, without paying any…
Thu., Jan. 21, 2010
So, just what does the revenue figure set by the Joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee yesterday signify? It's a recommendation to leadership and JFAC, but JFAC isn't bound by it. For many years, after taking testimony from economists, business leaders and more, the…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
It's been a long and wild day in the Statehouse. Here's a link to my full story on the outcome of today's stormy debate and votes in the Joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee, and here's a link to my full story on Rep.…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
Here's why Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, decided to second Sen. Russ Fulcher's motion on the state revenue estimate: "I could see where things were going, and they were going to an even more conservative number, and so I was trying to salvage what I…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
The successful motion, made by Sen. Russ Fulcher and seconded by Sen Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, sets fy 2010 revenue at 2.280 billion - which is $69 million below the governor's figure, and means, if the state budgets actually are set based on these figures,…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
The vote was 13-5; Sen. Russ Fulcher's motion has passed. Voting yes were Reps. Kren, Lake, Roberts, Henderson, McGeachin, Bayer, Bedke, and Sens. Fulcher, Hill, Bair, Hammond, Geddes and Keough. Voting no were Reps. Sayler, Killen and LeFavour and Sens. Goedde and Bilyeu.
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
Rep. Bill Killen, D-Boise, has proposed a substitute motion at the average of committee members' projections, which is below the median projection. It's $2.3315 billion for fy 2010, and $2.3756 billion for fy 2011. Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, who seconded the motion, said, "To make…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
Rep. Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, has proposed a new motion setting revenue for both fiscal years 2010 and 2011 at $2.25 billion. That would force the Legislature to cut another $120 million from the current year's budgets - meaning far more holdbacks than Gov. Butch Otter…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
The amended substitute motion, from Sen. Hill, died on a 7-11 vote. Then, the substitute motion, from Sen. Fulcher, died on a tied 9-9 vote. Then the original motion, from Rep. Lake, died 5-13.
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
With some committee members uncertain about what was in which motion, the Joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee is taking a 10-minute break to make sure the figures are clearly laid out for all members before a vote.
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
The joint committee on revenue is now debating the three motions. "We do not have the luxury this year of missing it like we did last year," said House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, who said he favors Sen. Russ Fulcher's substitute motion or…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
House Tax Chairman Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, moved to propose the Joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee's median projection as the recommended revenue projection for fy 2011, and accept the governor's figure for 2010. Then, Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, proposed a much lower figure: $2.28…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
A long list of human rights leaders, including two former Idaho governors, three former directors of the Idaho Human Rights Commission, and more, have sent an "open letter" to the Idaho Legislature opposing Gov. Butch Otter's proposal to phase out all state funding for the…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
December state tax revenues are down by $12.6 million from forecasts, Mike Ferguson, chief economist for Gov. Butch Otter, told the Joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee. You can see Ferguson's complete handout to the committee here. Despite the bottom-line drop, "There is embedded…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
The Joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee has begun its meeting in the basement auditorium of the state Capitol, and is now hearing from the state's chief economist, Mike Ferguson. The committee's draft report - members will vote on their final recommendation today -…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
The Boise Weekly reports that Gov. Butch Otter is proposing cutting his own office's budget by 3.8 percent for fiscal year 2011, but accounting for some of his policy advisers the same way former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne did until 2006: By stashing them in other…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
Senate Republicans caucused for about half an hour today, and House Democrats for an hour. GOP senators had Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron give an update on state revenues and the governor's budget recommendation. "This is the first opportunity we've had to give the full…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
Idaho could find a whole lot more big fossils - wooly mammoths and the like - in coming years as big energy transmission projects spread across the fossil-rich southern and eastern portions of the state, and state officials want to gear up by shifting some…
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010
Idaho enacted a state law regulating and permitting wine tastings five years ago, so why not allow the same for distilled spirits? That's what Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, proposed this morning in legislation that the House State Affairs Committee agreed to introduce on a…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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