The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has voted 19-0 this morning to increase the cap on the state’s main rainy-day savings account, the Budget Stabilization Fund, from 5 percent of the general fund to 10 percent. “I’m pleased that we can do this, and it’s the right…
Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa, is plenty steamed about the demise of his bill, HB 514, in a Senate committee today; the measure would have removed state elected officials’ exemption from the requirement for a concealed weapons permit. “I guess I’m surprised that a senator would…
Idaho’s Office of Performance Evaluations will conduct an investigation into the workload of the Idaho Attorney General’s office and the cost of contracting out for legal services for the state rather than doing them in-house, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee decided this afternoon. Also picked…
There’s a new worst-case scenario for the Idaho Education Network e-rate funds debacle: If the feds decide Idaho granted the multimillion-dollar contract for the IEN improperly, the state could not only have to pay back the $13.3 million in federal e-rate funds it’s already received…
With no debate, the House has passed SB 1277a, legislation to authorize the state to again start doing land exchanges with state-owned cottage sites at Priest and Payette lakes that are part of the state’s land endowment. Exchanges were halted earlier this year after legal…
The Senate has voted 21-13 in favor of SB 1314, controversial payday lending legislation from Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, that was opposed by advocates of reform in payday lending for not going far enough, and backed by major payday lending firms. The bill would…
The House has voted to remove the indexing of the homeowner’s exemption from property taxes, instead setting it at a fixed maximum level of $90,000 or 50 percent of home value, whichever is less. In 2006, the Legislature raised the exemption from its previous cap…
Led by Sen. Russ Fulcher, who is running for governor, and Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, a divided Senate State Affairs Committee this morning voted to dump House-passed legislation to remove lawmakers’ special privilege to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Siddoway said, “We are…
On a party-line vote, the House Revenue & Taxation Committee this morning agreed to introduce legislation to expand the personal property tax exemption for business equipment from $100,000 per taxpayer per county to $250,000, at a cost to the state of about $8.7 million a…
Former House Speaker Lawerence Denney, who is running for Secretary of State, was involved in a conflict that sparked accusations of theft, private work done on state time, political retribution, state contracts that benefited his family, undeclared conflict of interest and more – all involving…
Idaho’s proposed $2 million wolf control fund won’t be getting $2 million next year, reports the Twin Falls Times-News’ Kimberlee Kruesi; with millions needed to shore up the Idaho Education Network in the face of missing federal funds, legislative budget writers instead are looking at…
On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” program on Idaho Public Television, I join Jim Weatherby, Clark Corbin, and co-hosts Melissa Davlin and Aaron Kunz for a discussion of education funding issues that came up in the Legislature this week, from WiFi to broadband to teacher pay. Also,…
Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on how lawmakers decided today that Idaho school districts – like Coeur d’Alene – that opted not to join a controversial statewide contract for high school WiFi services should qualify for state funding for their own…
Idaho’s state Board of Correction could contract out prison inmates as farm laborers, under legislation making its way through this year. Reporter Sean Ellis of the Capital Press has a report here on the bill, SB 1374 from Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston.…
The general fund revenue report is out for February, and the numbers are positive – state tax revenues came in 28.6 percent ahead of forecasts. February’s $27.5 million surplus is enough to offset the previous month’s $25.9 million shortfall; year to date, general fund receipts…
The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into private prison company Corrections Corporation of America and how it ran an Idaho state prison plagued by inmate violence, the AP reports. The Idaho State Police was asked to investigate the company last year but didn't, until…
The homeowner’s exemption from property tax would no longer be indexed and go up and down with the market, under legislation from the Idaho Realtors and the Idaho Farm Bureau that cleared the House Revenue & Taxation Committee today. HB 594 would instead set the…
A narrowly divided House voted 34-32 in favor of HB 556, legislation from Rep. Steven Harris, R-Boise, to require parent and student input in teacher evaluations – a bill that was opposed by all three major education stakeholder groups in Idaho, and a departure from…
With little debate, the Senate has voted 28-6 in favor of SJR 106, Sen. Steve Vick’s proposed constitutional amendment to empower the House speaker and the Senate president pro-tem to order the governor to call a special session of the Legislature for a veto override…
Four “Add the Words” protesters, their hands covering their mouths and some holding photocopied pictures of two gay Idaho teens who committed suicide, have been standing silently in the center of the first-floor rotunda of the Capitol today. Former state Sen. Nicole LeFavour said she…
Student leaders from Idaho colleges and universities delivered a six-inch-high stack of petitions and letters to Gov. Butch Otter this morning opposing SB 1254, the guns-on-campus bill that passed the House yesterday, and urging Otter to veto the bill. Bryan Vlok, BSU student body president,…
With the Medicaid and Welfare Division budgets set, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has reached the end of its agency budget-setting schedule – a milestone. Typically, lawmakers can wrap up their legislative session as soon as two weeks after the end of agency budget-setting. JFAC’s work…
Legislative budget writers have set a budget for Medicaid that reflects only 0.4 percent growth next year in total funds, 3.1 percent in state general funds. That’s in part because the “woodwork effect” of more people signing up for Medicaid who already were eligible, but…
Sen. Dean Cameron’s “Option 1” intent language for the public school budget – which lets school districts opt out of a statewide high school WiFi contract that state schools Supt. Tom Luna signed with Education Networks of America and get alternative funding for their own…
Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, is arguing for Option 1 on high school WiFi network funding – which would let school districts opt out of the statewide contract with Education Networks of America if they want, and get state funding for their own networks.…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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