Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d'Alene, said he'd like the Attorney General's office to provide the House Ethics Committee with a legal briefing on the constitutional provision regarding legislative privilege from arrest or civil process during sessions. Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, said, "That certainly is…
Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane told the ethics committee, "You have the authority to take testimony, to hear from witnesses." The committee's decision will be in the form of a recommendation to the full House, he said. "Only the full body can take final action."
Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said, "I did send a letter to Rep. Hart asking for his response. ... we want to make sure that we do this correctly and that we give everybody a fair opportunity to respond." Hart…
This morning's first meeting of the House Ethics Committee will focus mostly on procedure, said Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona. Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane will brief the committee on the process, and Loertscher said the committee will then assign the Attorney General "to do an…
A rare House Ethics Committee convenes on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. Boise time to review the conduct of Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol. The conference-call meeting is the first since the bipartisan panel was appointed last week; it will take place in the House State…
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Keith Allred's plan to audit tax deals between the Idaho Tax Commission and those protesting their payments has been endorsed by the state Senate's tax committee leader. Sen. Brent Hill, a Rexburg Republican who heads the Local Government and Taxation panel, told…
Here's how I've been spending my time this week - windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge. This shot is from Doug's Beach earlier this week; it's been great. Meanwhile, political news has continued to break in Boise. Here's a link to the announcement that 1st…