The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is inviting public testimony on Friday morning on any issues related to the state budget for next year. The hearing will be in the Lincoln Auditorium Friday from 8 to 10:30 a.m.; people can sign in to testify, which they must...
A House committee was decidedly skeptical this morning of proposed new state rules for big-dollar contracts, saying they don’t go far enough to fix problems with Idaho’s contracting system. In particular, they questioned whether the rules would have prevented the Idaho Education Network contract debacle,…
The House Commerce Committee has voted unanimously in favor of HB 100, to remove a special retirement perk that benefits longtime state lawmakers who end their careers with short stints in higher-paying, full-time state jobs. In those situations, the years of legislative services are counted…
Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, just announced to the Senate that he'll be resigning from the Senate at the end of today's session, to accept an appointment from Gov. Butch Otter to the Idaho State Tax Commission. His voice breaking, Werk said, "I will miss you...
The Senate has voted 25-9 in favor of SB 1011, the bill to repeal instant racing in Idaho. The measure now moves to the House side.
“The way I see it, we made the mess,” said Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, in his closing debate. “We didn’t need to. We made the mess – we need to clean it up. To put that kind of burden on local prosecutors is just one...
In continuing debate on SB 1011, the instant racing repeal bill: Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said, “Whoooa, Nellie. I think we’re getting the cart before the horse. I personally believe that this is a bad policy for us to pursue to repeal a piece of legislation that is only two years old, that has a working issue in it, and it does have an issue...
In continuing debate in the Idaho Senate today on SB 1011, to repeal 'instant racing': Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa, said, “For me this is about integrity of the process. We were persuaded to pass this legislation based on representations that were made. What was delivered…
In continuing debate in the Senate on SB 1011, the bill to repeal 'instant racing' in Idaho: Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, questioned Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill about the fiscal note on SB 1011, the instant racing bill, asking if he was comfortable that…
In today’s debate on SB 1011, the bill to repeal authorization for instant racing in Idaho: Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell, said, “I agree that machines being used in various locations in our state violate our state Constitution. … That’s not my concern with the bill.”...
“We’ve all been fascinated and thrilled with watching the skill and the beauty of horse racing,” Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, told the Senate as he opened debate today on SB 1011, the bill to repeal authorization for so-called “instant racing” machines in Idaho.
U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are addressing both the Idaho House and Senate today, and both are issuing strong warnings about their concerns over the $18 trillion national debt, which Crapo called “the greatest threat to our national security.” He said, “We’ll collapse…
In response to a letter from Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, and signed by three other North Idaho state representatives, questioning the legality of Indian gaming in Idaho, state Lottery Director Jeff Anderson has responded with a letter outlining why Idaho Indian tribes’ gaming machines…
Members of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee have gone section by section through the details of the “legislative intent” language to be attached to the $3.64 million stopgap school broadband appropriation, and after many questions, approved each section unanimously. The language ties strings to the money,…
Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene, has moved to approve the $3.45 million supplemental appropriation for school broadband. “This is just for the remainder of this year, ‘til June 30,” Malek said. “There are costs that will be incurred in that last month, so we have…
The ornate JFAC hearing room is packed this morning for the debate on how to fund broadband services for schools for the rest of this school year. A proposal has been placed before budget writers for a supplemental appropriation for $3,640,500 to pay for school...
The House State Affairs Committee gave a far different reception this morning to Rep. Linden Bateman, R-Idaho Falls, for his new version of legislation to raise the fines for violations of the Idaho Open Meeting Law. Bateman modified his proposal to raise the fines from…
A new version of the bill from Idaho Chooses Life to restrict abortions administered via medication like RU-486, rather than by surgery, was introduced this morning in the House State Affairs Committee, after sponsor David Ripley made changes in response to concerns raised by the…
An obscure rule change sought by domestic elk ranchers could wreak havoc on Idaho’s hunting industry by introducing a deadly parasite into wild game populations – something some Idaho veterinarians are describing as “Ebola for wildlife.” Virgil Moore, director of the Idaho Department of Fish...
Close to 300 school trustees from around the state crowded into the Capitol’s Lincoln Auditorium late Monday afternoon for an update on the status of the Idaho Education Network. “As you know, we’ve had a mess,” Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, told them. “The…
A new report from the Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations concludes that the state Department of Education made the same mistakes implementing its longitudinal data system for public schools, known as the Idaho System for Education Excellence, or ISEE, that the department made on the…
Legislation from House Transportation Chairman Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, was introduced unanimously in the House Transportation Committee this afternoon, to hike gas taxes, car and truck registration fees, and impose other fees and taxes including new charges on electric and hybrid cars that use little gas,...
The Senate Resources Committee has voted unanimously to introduce legislation sought by state Parks Director David Langhorst to allow state parks to solicit corporate sponsorships as an additional revenue source, but not without questions. Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, questioned whether it would lead to naming…
Rep. Paul Shepherd, R-Riggins, got a resolution introduced on a party-line vote in a House committee this morning calling on Congress to impeach “activist” federal judges, reports Lewiston Tribune reporter Bill Spence. “The time is right to get back to our Constitution, not just on…
The Senate has suspended its rules this morning to immediately take up and pass a bill, HB 77, the annual conformity bill that conforms Idaho’s state tax code to the current version of the federal internal revenue code. Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, said, “Here we…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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