Just three of Idaho's 44 counties - Kootenai, Canyon and Ada - accounted for nearly two-thirds of the state's population growth in the past decade, and that has big implications for Idaho politics. You can read my full story here at spokesman.com, and see our…
The House Transportation Committee has sent HB 141 to the House's amending order for changes, but sponsor Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, said the proposed committee amendments wouldn't change the bill's basic concept: That drivers distracted by electronic devices can be pulled over and cited, but…
In the end, the House Health & Welfare Committee agreed to remove $4.4 million in state funds of the proposed cuts in the Medicaid cuts bill, HB 221, which also means about $8 million in federal matching funds wouldn't be given up as they would…
The Associated Press reports that the House's No. 2 elected official, Majority Leader Mike Moyle, has become the target of fury from hunters who accuse him of using his position to restrict access to a stash of western Idaho elk for just an elite few.…
The House Health & Welfare Committee has been going painstakingly through proposed changes in its Medicaid cuts bill, HB 221, and has agreed to back off on about $5 million worth of the $39 million in proposed cuts in state Medicaid funding; the original bill…
U.S. Census data for Idaho is out, and it shows that Idaho's population has grown 21.1 percent in the past 10 years to 1,587,582. The state's Hispanic population grew by 73 percent, while its non-Hispanic population grew by 16.7 percent; still, 89.1 percent of Idahoans…
An environmental group wants a federal judge to step in and block plans to haul dozens of oversized truckloads of oil refinery equipment along a northern Idaho highway federally protected river corridor, the AP reports. Idaho Rivers United filed its complaint Thursday in U.S. District…
HB 210, the "Right to Farm" bill, has passed the House on a 57-11 vote. House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, who co-sponsored the bill with Speaker Lawerence Denney, said, "It's a good bill, it helps clarify what's going on. It helps people understand where…
A group of North Idaho residents and Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, attemped to introduce a "sound money" bill this morning in the House State Affairs committee regarding gold and silver currency. Tom Dillon of Sandpoint, chairman of the Legislative District 1 Republican Central Committee and…
The House State Affairs Committee has voted 11-8 in favor of HB 222, the guns-on-campus bill, sending it to the full House with a recommendation that it "do-pass." The vote came after a motion to hold the bill in committee failed on an identical 8-11…
Boise Police Chief Michael Masterson said his department opposes HB 222, and he sought to clarify some of the statistics presented to the committee yesterday. Boise is one of the safest cities in the nation, he said. In violent crimes recorded in the city, he…
Jerry Beck, president of the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, speaking against HB 222, said, "We currently have a safe campus. I can't tell you that this will make it more safe or less safe. ... Utah did pass this bill. I would…
Former House Speaker Bruce Newcomb, the government affairs director for Boise State University, told the House State Affairs Committee that when he was in the Legislature, his first rule for legislation was to do no harm. "We're fixing a perceived non-existent problem with a solution…
Mark Browning, spokesman for the Idaho State Board of Education, testified against HB 222, and said the board has confidence in the presidents of its state colleges and universities to regulate firearms on campus. Mark Goddard, a University of Idaho student, told the committee that…
Marty Peterson, assistant to the president of the University of Idaho, told the House State Affairs Committee, "Under current policies, the state allows local control at the institutional level to determine campus firearms policies. This allows each institution to adopt policies that best suit the…
The House State Affairs Committee has taken up the continuation of its hearing on HB 222, the guns-on-campus bill. Matthew Dogali of the National Rifle Association told the committee, "You can carry in any sporting event that is not on a college campus right now.…
After today's JFAC meeting, the joint committee will take a break, and not meet either Friday or Monday. It's unclear whether or not it'll meet on Tuesday. "We're sort of at a halt," said Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert. "After today's work, we will…
Negotiations on how to change Idaho's primary election system began immediately after U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill’s March 2 decision overturning the current system, reports Idaho Statesman columnist Dan Popkey, including the key issue of how independents would be treated in a closed GOP primary.…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
