In Idaho politics, all eyes will be on Gov. Butch Otter on Monday, as he lays out his agenda and budget proposal to lawmakers for this year's election-year session. Big decisions loom; lawmakers and Otter budgeted so conservatively last year that they’re now sitting on a substantial surplus, even as health care services for the poor have been slashed, universities, schools and state agencies have seen their funding drop sharply and state employees have gone without raises. But the decisions this year will be made in a highly political atmosphere. Every seat in the Legislature is up for election, redistricting has left many lawmakers’ districts in flux, and the state’s first closed Republican primary looms in May, raising the prospect that a lightly attended vote by core partisans could decide the future of Idaho’s GOP-dominated government.

Here's a link to my Sunday story on the upcoming session. Watch here for news as it happens Monday.