Legislative budget writers set one of the state’s most significant budgets this morning, for the state’s colleges and universities. The successful motion shows a 3.8 percent increase in state general funds – well below Gov. Butch Otter’s recommendation for a 5 percent hike – and…
At the health insurance exchange hearing this morning in the Abraham Lincoln Auditorium, time was allowed first for the governor’s chief of staff, David Hensley, to explain the bill, and for a leading opponent, Wayne Hoffman, to criticize it. Hensley told the House Health &…
There sure is a lot going on in the state Capitol this morning. The hearing on the state health insurance exchange legislation kicks off at 7 a.m. in the Abraham Lincoln Auditorium. People started lining up at 6:30; you can listen live here. The Joint…
Idaho's 'fetal pain' abortion law, banning abortions after 20 weeks based on the disputed idea that a fetus at that point can feel pain, has been overturned in federal court as unconstitutional. The law, passed in 2011, was found to be an undue burden on…
North Idaho activist Larry Spencer proposed legislation in the House Local Government Committee this afternoon to create what he called a “deferential standard” in cases in which people challenge local government impact fees. His bill, HB 246, was modeled after a Florida law that was…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — House lawmakers are recommending that a series of state funded higher education scholarships be consolidated. A bill approved by the House Wednesday on a 43-24 vote eliminates a merit-based scholarship and a program…
Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on today’s Senate passage of legislation to make any route in Idaho – other than interstate freeways – potentially fair game for extra-heavy trucks, despite protests from numerous North Idaho local elected officials. Senators disputed whether…
Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, brought back his bill to require a vote of the people on changes to a local comprehensive plan, and require the formation of property rights councils, to the House Local Government Committee this afternoon. “This bill before us obviously needs…
Senate Democrats have issued a news release decrying SB 1108, the bill to make it tougher to qualify an initiative or referendum measure for the Idaho ballot, which cleared the Senate State Affairs Committee on a party-line vote this morning. “I believe that Idaho’s leaders…
The House has voted 43-23 in favor of SB 1103, a $200,000 supplemental appropriation to the state Tax Commission that drew lots of comments in the Senate about how some view state tax auditors as unduly rigorous; the measure passed there on a close 18-16…
Here’s how the Senate voted on SB 1117, the bill to open up routes statewide to extra-heavy trucks; it passed 22-13 and now moves to the House: Voting yes: Sens. Bair, Bayer, Brackett, Cameron, Fulcher, Goedde, Hagedorn, Heider, Johnson, Lakey, Lodge, McKenzie, Mortimer, Nonini, Nuxoll,…
After first passing SB 1064 on a 33-1 vote, to remove the expiration date on a decade-old pilot project allowing extra-heavy trucks – up to 129,000 pounds, up from the current 105,500-pound limit – on 35 designated southern Idaho routes, the Senate spent nearly two…
The House has voted 48-19 in favor of HB 221, the charter school governance bill, which would make a series of changes, including allowing charter schools in Idaho to be authorized by private or public colleges and non-profit corporations. Currently they’re only chartered by the…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The House is finally set to introduce two competing bills to cut Idaho's business personal property tax, with one measure backed by counties and one by industry. Rep. Gary Collins, House Revenue and…
SB 1108, the bill to make it tougher to qualify initiatives or referendum measures for the Idaho ballot, has cleared the Senate State Affairs Committee on a party-line vote, with only the panel’s two Democrats objecting. The vote came after three days of hearings, in…
At the hearing on SB 1108, the bill to make it tougher to qualify initiatives or referendum measures for the Idaho ballot by requiring signatures from 6 percent of voters in 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts, instead of just 6 percent of voters statewide,…
Many JFAC members said they supported the concept behind Rep. Shirley Ringo’s intent language for the state prisons budget – calling for the state Department of Correction to develop and submit its own bid to run the Idaho Correctional Center, now operated by the Corrections…
On a series of unanimous votes, legislative budget writers have set a budget for the state Department of Correction that shows a 7.1 percent increase in state general funds, and 5.6 percent increase in total funds. The increases come almost entirely from required contract increases…
The Senate State Affairs Committee is now taking up SB 1108 for the third time; that's the bill to make it tougher to qualify initiatives or referendum measures for the Idaho ballot. At both of its previous hearings, the committee ran out of time. Chairman…
Six Canyon County lawmakers have joined forces to propose SB 1080, a measure to put the state Attorney General in charge of investigating civil or criminal law violations by county elected officials, including open meeting law violations by boards of county commissioners. “This is a…
Payment for the coming year on the 14 bonds currently outstanding for the state of Idaho was approved by JFAC this morning on a unanimous vote. Next year’s bond payments total $31.8 million. Rep. Darrell Bolz, R-Caldwell, noted that there are just two years left…
The Permanent Building Fund budget – the state’s capital building project budget – has been set at $24.1 million for next year, closely matching the governor’s recommendation and the recommendation from the Permanent Building Fund Advisory Council. Projects funded are: Statewide building alteration and repairs,…
The budget set this morning for the state Department of Administration shows a startling 66.1 percent increase in state general funds, jumping from $4.5 million this year to $7.5 million next year. But that’s largely because of a series of large one-time expenditures to address…
Big decisions loom in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning, which will be setting budgets for the state Department of Administration, the Permanent Building Fund - which covers major state building construction projects - and the mammoth Department of Correction, covering all state prisons, incuding…
Here’s how Idaho House members voted on HB 206, the controversial legislation to fund charter school facilities costs by shifting funds from the state public school budget, at the expense of other public schools; the bill passed on a 42-27 vote. Voting in favor: Reps.…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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