Idaho has serious gaps in representation for children involved in protective services cases, according to a report by the Office of Performance Evaluation. The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee received the lengthy report at a hearing last week, the Idaho Falls Post Register reports; you can…
The Idaho Senate Judiciary Committee agreed today to introduce legislation to amend the Idaho Constitution to allow defendants accused of “dangerous crimes” to be held without bail before they go to trial, but senators on the committee had lots of questions about the proposal, which...
On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, host Melissa Davlin interviews House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star; producer Seth Ogilvie talks with Idaho Water Users Association head Paul Arrington about the Columbia River Treaty; Davlin reports on overcrowding and outdated facilities at county jails…
Gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. Paulette Jordan will appoint a long-term substitute to fill her seat for the rest of the legislative session, instead of resigning as she announced earlier this week. Jordan, D-Plummer, is tapping St. Maries City Councilwoman Margie Gannon...
An eastern Idaho lawmaker is backing legislation that would allow all adults over the age of 21 to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Currently, state law says only Idaho residents may carry concealed weapons in most places without a county-issued permit...
A dozen GOP lawmakers who’ve dubbed themselves “liberty legislators” gathered in the Capitol rotunda today for a press conference to announce they’re pushing forward with their own versions of three GOP-backed bills already moving through the Legislature: The governor’s income tax-cut bill; the “Marsy’s Law”…
Gov. Butch Otter has announced the appointment of Moscow attorney Tom Whitney to the 3rd District judgeship left vacant by the recent retirement of Judge Thomas Ryan; the judgeship is based in Caldwell. Whitney taught math at Bonners Ferry High School before attending law school…
After much debate, a divided House State Affairs Committee has voted to introduce “Marsy’s Law for Idaho,” the latest version of a measure calling to amend the Idaho Constitution to add additional rights for crime victims, while making a change in the measure proposed by…
The House State Affairs Committee, on a 5-10 vote, has killed a proposal to have Idaho call for a constitution of the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The motion from Rep. James Holtzclaw, R-Meridian, was to send HCR 32 to the full House...
Up to 250 Idaho prison inmates are being sent to a private prison in Texas as Idaho’s prisons fill to overflowing, state Corrections Director Henry Atencio announced Thursday. “We wish we didn’t have to send inmates out of state; we know it creates challenges for…
Fines for trespassing on private property in Idaho could get stiffer, and habitual offenders could find themselves charged with a felony under a bill introduced on Thursday, the Idaho Statesman reports. “We need to change how we deal with trespass on private property,” House Agricultural Affairs Chairwoman Judy Boyle, R-Midvale...
An Idaho political action committee backed by a top Republican strategist and fundraiser has dissolved. GOP operative Carl Forti terminated Building Idaho's Future, Inc. on Feb. 5. The PAC was considered to be backing one of Idaho's top GOP gubernatorial candidates...
The AP reports that a federal court has ruled that U.S. officials don't have to provide details about proposed shipments of extremely radioactive spent commercial nuclear fuel to the country's top government nuclear research laboratory in Idaho. The ruling was a major setback to a lawsuit filed by former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus...
Gov. Butch Otter is recommending a one-time $865,000 investment into deferred maintenance at Idaho’s state parks next year, but even with that boost in state general funds, the parks system would only get 10 percent of its funding from the state, Parks Director David Langhorst...
Caseloads for the state’s Catastrophic Health Care Fund have taken a sharp upturn this year, CAT Board Chairman Roger Christensen reported to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning. Christensen, a Bonneville County commissioner, said it doesn’t appear to be just a blip. “We’re sensing that...
Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, and Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, presented the report of the Joint Millennium Fund Committee this morning to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, which voted unanimously to accept the report. The Millennium Fund Committee, which decides how to allocate proceeds from the…
The Associated Taxpayers of Idaho have revised their calculations of the impact of HB 463, the governor’s tax-cut bill, on the “Spud Family,” an Idaho family of four with an income of $84,901. Executive Director Miguel Legarreta said there was an error in the calculations...
An Idaho House committee voted 12-4 on Wednesday to strip out large sections of the state’s proposed new school science standards, including standards for teaching kids about renewable and non-renewable energy resources and their impacts on the environment – including air pollution. Rep. Scott Syme,…
Idaho's top prison official wants about a 7 percent budget increase, with much of the money going to fund beds and services for the state's growing prison population and to revamp the state's computer system for tracking inmates. If approved, the Department of Correction's budget would reach $264.4 million for the fiscal year beginning in July...
An Idaho Senate panel has introduced a Democratic senator's bill to allow women to receive up to a 12-month supply of prescribed birth control. Currently, many Idaho insurance providers have a one-month or three-month limit. The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee agreed to introduce Democratic Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb's proposal...
Sen. Mary Souza’s latest bill to move school board elections is in the legislative hopper, reports Idaho EdNews, and this time, she’s not facing opposition from the Idaho School Boards Association. The Senate Education Committee voted Wednesday to introduce Souza’s bill, which would move school…
The House Business Committee has approved legislation from Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, to add an exception to Idaho’s minimum wage law for anyone under 18 who is employed by a family member or at a family business. Two committee members, Reps. Elaine Smith, D-Pocatello, and…
The Senate Resources Committee vote unanimously this afternoon to recommend confirmation of the appointment of former House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, to the Idaho Water Resources Board. The vote came two days after the same panel put the appointment on hold, after Sen. Cliff…
After more than an hour’s debate and two unsuccessful motions, the House has voted 59-11 – a straight party-line vote, with all Republicans voting yes and all Democrats voting no – to pass HB 463, the governor’s income tax-cut bill. House Majority Leader Mike Moyle,...
Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, moved to “divide the question,” dividing HB 463, the governor’s tax-cut bill, into two parts – conformity with federal tax changes, and cuts to Idaho income taxes, including rate cuts and a new child tax credit. Nate said he was making...
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