Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the deadlock in JFAC today over later hours at some state liquor stores. Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, dubbed the possible extension of some store hours from 7 to 9 p.m. "the gettin-in-trouble time," and said,…
How about a texting-while-driving bill that says it's OK to text if you're careful, but not if you're not? That's what an Idaho lawmaker has proposed as a compromise, after a texting ban was killed on the last night of last year's legislative session. Insurance…
The House Transportation Committee has voted 8-7 to hold HB 141 until next week to try to work up new amendments to address various concerns raised about the "lite" version of a texting-while-driving ban.
Colton Grainger, a 16-year-old Rocky Mountain High School junior from Meridian, spoke passionately in favor of HB 141, the texting bill. "I am a teen driver and I'm very happy with this bill," he told the House Transportation Committee. No bill can anticipate everything, Grainger…
Mike Kane, lobbyist for both the Property and Casualty Insurance Association of America and the Idaho Sheriffs Association, said it's rare that he's on the other side of an issue from the AAA, but his clients are supporting HB 141, the new "lite" version of…
Dave Carlson, lobbyist for the AAA of Idaho, told the House Transportation Committee that texting "is on its way to becoming the new drunk driving." Distracted driving now is responsible for a quarter of traffic fatalities nationwide, he said. "We've been looking at the legislation…
Under questioning from House Transportation Committee members, Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, acknowledged that his texting-while-driving bill would permit texting while driving as long as the driver is exercising "due care." He said, "If you're driving down the road and you're using an electronic device and…
The House Transportation Committee is starting its hearing on HB 141, a measure that's kind of a "lite" version of last year's texting-while-driving ban. Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, said he's been working on the measure since last year, when a texting ban was defeated in…
The crowd of high school students protesting the school reform package at the state Capitol today has swelled and moved out onto the capitol steps during the noon hour, where some are holding signs and periodically the group is chanting, "Kill the bill." Meanwhile, in…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — After the failure of nullification last Friday in the Senate, Idaho is pushing for a new way to take on the federal government. Lawmakers want a so-called "Madison Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution.…
About 100 Boise High School students are now gathered in the second-floor rotunda of the state capitol, where they're quietly doing their homework. It's part of walkouts at high schools across the state this morning in protest of the proposed school reform plan; the Associated…
Among the most outspoken opponents in JFAC today of later liquor store hours was Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, who operates a convenience store that sells beer and wine and is open until 11 p.m. He argued in the JFAC debate, "By extending the hours,…
JFAC has voted 14-5 to set a budget for the Commission on Hispanic Affairs that cuts the tiny agency's budget by 5.5 percent next year, heading off a move by Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, to cut it by 47.3 percent in state funds and 18.4…
Here's an odd twist on this morning's debate in JFAC over the evils of opening state liquor stores later: About a dozen state liquor stores already are open until 9 p.m., though standard hours statewide are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The proposal in the…
Rep. Joyce Broadsword's's motion fund the state Liquor Division budget for next year without Rep. George Eskridge's move to leave out funds to open later hours - a $455,000 expenditure expected to bring in a $2 million return - has failed on a 10-10 tied…
Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, is pushing a motion to head off a proposal from the state Liquor Division to allow the 7 busiest state liquor stores to stay open as late as 9 p.m., rather than closing at 7 p.m., a move the agency expects…
The substitute motion to cut more deeply into the budget for the Office of Species Conservation has been defeated on a 6-14 vote, with just Reps. Hagedorn, Vander Woude, Thompson, Patrick, Bell and Eskridge voting in favor. The original motion then passed 19-1, with just…
JFAC has approved the governor's recommendation for the Fish & Game budget, with one "no" vote from Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow. The department receives no state general funds; the budget approved for next year shows a reduction of 0.9 percent. Now, the joint committee is…
As the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee convenes this morning, it's scheduled to set agendas for Fish & Game, the Office of Species Conservation, the state Liquor Division, the Historical Society, the Commission for Libraries, the Commission for Hispanic Affairs and the state lottery. The governor's budget…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
