Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says giving Idaho management control of some federal land in the state would make forests healthier and potentially reduce the size and intensity of wildfires. Otter testified Tuesday in…
The Senate Health & Welfare Committee has endorsed legislation designed to localize and streamline behavioral health services offered through the state Department of Health & Welfare, reports Twin Falls Times-News reporter Melissa Davlin, who noted that committee Chairman Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, called the measure…
Idaho had the highest percentage of minimum-wage workers in the nation in 2012, according to the Idaho Department of Labor. The department announced today that new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 31,000 of Idaho’s 404,000 hourly workers – 7.7 percent…
House Education Chairman Reed DeMordaunt, R-Eagle, just asked for and received unanimous consent from the House to return HB 206, the charter school facilities funding bill, to the House Education Committee. “There were some procedural questions on this bill in committee,” DeMordaunt told the House.…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Lawmakers fearful the U.S. Supreme Court might one day reverse itself on the issue of individual gun rights aim to change the Idaho Constitution's definition of a militia to include all the state's…
Legislation seeking to transfer federal lands into state ownership likely won't be ready this year, Lewiston Tribune reporter Bill Spence reports; he reports that House Resources Chairman Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, now is looking to an interim legislative committee to draft such a bill. Click below…
The House has voted 40-28 in favor of HB 123, the bill from the state’s court system to remove the “sunset,” or expiration date, from the emergency surcharge that was added to infraction, misdemeanor and felony offenses in 2010 to keep courts operating despite the…
SB 1074, the bill to allow a special liquor license for the Caldwell Night Rodeo, has passed the Senate on a 27-8 vote. It expands a 1984 law that crafted a special liquor license for the Lewiston Roundup, by adjusting the acreage and city-limits rules…
The House State Affairs Committee was bowled over today by one of the most persuasive pitches for a bill so far this legislative session – and it came from a 12-year-old. “Idaho is home to many amazing amphibians,” sixth-grader Ilah Hickman told the committee. “One…
Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, is proposing a new version of his unsuccessful bill from last year to grant a tax credit for donations to scholarships for Idaho students to attend to private schools, saying the move will save money by having fewer students enroll…
More tight state agency budgets were set this morning for the department of Juvenile Corrections and the Idaho State Police. Approved on unanimous votes in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee,, the budgets generally match Gov. Butch Otter’s recommendations. For juvenile corrections, legislative budget writers approved the…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee set budgets this morning for the governor’s office and the legislative branch, and due to statutory requirements, both of those include salary boosts for elected officials. Specifically, the governor’s salary was required by law to rise from $115,348 to $117,000 on…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A man who lost an eye after being hit by a foul ball at a baseball game can seek damages from a minor league team in Idaho. The Idaho Supreme Court decided not…
Well, that was a little weird. Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, proposed legislation to amend an existing law that requires those under 18 to prove they’re attending school, or have graduated, or are in job training or are being home-schooled, in order to…
There was a rare moment of unanimity on education issues this afternoon, as the Idaho Education Association and the Idaho School Boards Association joined to back SB 1098, legislation to reinstate a provision of the voter-rejected Proposition 1 requiring that all school district-teacher negotiations take…
Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll proposed a different kind of specialty license plate bill today – one not designed to raise money for a particular program or cause, but instead to provide recognition and encouragement to Idaho’s volunteer Emergency Medical Services providers. Half of Idaho’s EMS providers…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill ending a retirement incentives program for teachers has passed in the Idaho Senate. The measure approved on a 29-6 vote Tuesday would eliminate early retirement benefits for teachers nearing the end…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Nonprofit religious organizations that help members share medical costs are closer to being exempted from Idaho insurance laws. The Senate voted Tuesday 34-1 to back SB 1100, removing Health Care Sharing Ministries from…
The House has voted 51-19 – with no debate – to pass HB 159, the bill to allow the Nez Perce Tribe to get a special liquor license for its new convention center. The measure now moves to the Senate side for consideration.
A party-line vote in the House Education Committee today sent HB 206, the charter school facilities funding bill, to the full House today with a recommendation that it “do pass.” The committee’s three minority Democrats voted against the bill, after a long hearing that saw…
The Senate has voted unanimously, 35-0, to approve House-passed legislation to add three more district judges to the state court system, sending HB 29 to the governor’s desk. “This bill is a top priority of the court,” Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, told the Senate.…
The Senate this morning is honoring Olympic cyclist Kristin Armstrong, approving HCR 4, a resolution that earlier passed the House. “It’s a real honor to present HCR 4 for debate this morning honoring Boise’s own Kristin Armstrong,” said Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise. “We’re commending her…
In the budget for health education programs, JFAC has gone along with the governor’s recommendation to add five new first-year medical seats in the WWAMI TRUST, or Targeted Rural and Underserved Track, program, and also approved two other tiny boosts to medical education programs: A…
A divided Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning approved a $170,000 boost to the Community Supported Employment program in the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, which includes sheltered workshops and other employment services for people with severe disabilities; the program has been cut by more than…
The question of whether then-Idaho Sen. Larry Craig was on official business when he was arrested in a Minneapolis airport men's room in 2007 will be taken up by a federal judge this week, McClatchy Newspapers reporter Michael Doyle reports, in a case with far-reaching…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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