The House Revenue & Taxation Committee has been locked in lengthy debate this morning over a bill proposed by the state Tax Commission to require paid tax preparers to file returns electronically, something the IRS already requires for federal returns. Committee members have been skeptical;…
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden says the state needs to fully fund the attorneys it needs in his office, and stop hiring expensive outside counsel. “The minute a state agency starts hiring outside counsel, the meter starts running at $125 an hour, and as high…
Big Ed Beckley, who paid nearly $1 million for a state land lease for the landing site for his re-try of daredevil Evel Knievel’s famous unsuccessful jump across the Snake River Canyon, was unexpectedly denied a lease for the jump site last night by the…
Idaho state Treasurer Ron Crane says he will seek a fifth term in the elected post; the news came as he answered questions from reporters this afternoon about a sharply critical state audit of his office’s investment practices that he disputes. “If there was a…
Today is the first Denton Darrington Lecture on Law and Government, to be delivered at 4 p.m. in the Lincoln Auditorium featuring Chief Judge Emeritus J. Clifford Wallace of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. It’s free and open to the public, and also…
The presidents of all eight of Idaho’s public colleges and universities spoke out today against SB 1254, the bill to allow concealed guns on Idaho’s college campuses. They were joined by members of the state Board of Education, including board President Don Soltman, left, which…
In a special meeting this morning, Idaho’s State Board of Education voted unanimously to oppose SB 1254, the bill to allow guns on college campuses in certain circumstances. “We have to protect our students,” said Milford Terrell, a board member from Boise, according to a…
The 43 people arrested in the “Add the Words” protest this morning were processed in a 4th floor conference room of the Capitol, then released with misdemeanor trespassing citations. Asked what their fine will be, protester Hilary Rayhill, 46, said, “We’re going to go to…
After all the protesters were arrested, one remained – former state Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, who stood alone in the doorway of the Senate. The reason: Senate rules grant floor privileges to former members. She remained there as the Senate began its session; senators filed…
Dozens of protesters are now being arrested in the Idaho State Capitol, after Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, asked them to leave the entrances to the Senate chamber, which they were blocking, and they silently refused. "We need to take care of the people's…
Members of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee were dismayed by state Treasurer Ron Crane’s explanations this morning of a scathing state audit that found his office’s investment decisions cost state taxpayers more than $10 million, with more to come. “I don’t think I got an explanation…
More than 40 silent “Add the Words” protesters are now blocking all entrances to the Senate chambers, plus another small group that’s standing outside in front of the Capitol; police cars are now lined up outside the Capitol along Jefferson Street. One protester who was…
Longtime Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa gave his final budget presentation to lawmakers this morning, as he’s retiring after his current term. Holding up a hand-written sheet of paper, he said, “This is my Basque Powerpoint that I’ll hand in later.” Amid laughter, JFAC…
Idaho state Treasurer Ron Crane, the target of a highly unfavorable legislative audit last week that said he’s lost the state’s taxpayers more than $10 million through “inappropriate” transfers, is making his budget presentation to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning. The mood is tense.…
Nearly two dozen silent protesters are blocking the entrance of the Senate chamber this morning, holding their hands over their mouths. “We’re not leaving until they go back down to the committee rooms,” said former Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise. “At the end of the session…
Five-term Idaho Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, who is 91, announced today that he won’t seek a sixth term in the upcoming elections, and instead will endorse North Idaho businessman John Chambers, 59, a semi-retired executive at Ground Force Manufacturing, to succeed him in office.…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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