Legislative limerick: The pending trespassing bill...
Some brothers from Texas bought land ‘No hunters,’ they said – that’s their stand The Idaho law May have stuck in their craw But the Lege now says trespassing’s banned.
Eye On Boise
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2018
Idaho tribes ask to intervene in Hells Canyon relicensing
A southeastern Idaho tribe is seeking to intervene in an Idaho utility's attempt to negate an Oregon law requiring fish passage as part of relicensing for a hydroelectric project on the Snake River, the AP reports. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes on Tuesday filed documents with the U.S. Court of Appeals...
CdA Tribe denies voter intimidation; racing initiative group says its signature gatherers followed, harassed
Officials with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe say they have hired employees to counter claims surrounding a proposed ballot initiative, but deny accusations their operatives are intimidating voters, the AP reports. Tyrel Stevenson with the North Idaho Voter Project...
Suicide prevention advocates celebrate new Idaho law requiring training of school personnel
All Idaho school personnel must be trained in suicide awareness and prevention, under legislation that Gov. Butch Otter and suicide-prevention advocates celebrated at a ceremony in the governor’s office on Wednesday. The governor had earlier signed HB 634, the Jason Flatt Act, into law; it…
Otter says he'll 'treat' the anti-trespassing bill before 5:18 pm today
After a ceremonial signing ceremony in his office this morning for HB 634, the Jason Flatt Act, which requires suicide prevention training for all school personnel in Idaho, Gov. Butch Otter talked briefly about the current task he’s facing – making decisions, in a short…
Senate convenes, recesses 'til 1:30; says 3 bills hang in balance
There are just three bills left that Gov. Butch Otter is considering possibly vetoing, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Winder told the Senate this morning. “It sounds like we’ll have a decision fairly early afternoon, so I’m going to ask that we come back on the…
TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018
Otter signed 44 bills into law today; issued no new vetoes...
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter signed 44 bills into law on Tuesday, including the budgets for the state Liquor Division and state prison system; another $400,000 transfer from the state general fund next year to the Wolf Depredation Control Fund, which contracts to have problem wolves…
House veto override attempt fails; both House, Senate adjourn 'til tomorrow
The House returned to session at just after 4 this afternoon, and immediately read over the desk the governor’s veto message on HB 501, the teacher evaluation bill. Then, without any preliminaries, the House took its vote on a possible override of the governor’s veto,...
House is back...
The House is back… you can watch live here.
'We're probably going to be hanging around for just a little bit longer...'
With both houses scheduled to reconvene at 3:30 this afternoon Boise time, the clock ticked more than 15 minutes past that with nothing happening. Then, the Senate convened; 33 of the 35 senators are present, and the other two are excused. Majority Leader Chuck Winder…
Legislative limerick: On the 79th legislative day…
Hurry up and wait Ah, what an awful fate It’s sunny outside But in here we’re tied The politics is running late.
Funding formula committee hires help
The Legislature has a $248,450 plan to get help rewriting its school funding formula, Idaho EdNews reports. Meeting in between floor sessions Tuesday, the Legislature’s Public School Funding Formula Committee hired a consultant for its summer work, the Education Commission of the States, a Denver-based…
Interim committees start meeting today; campaign finance panel reviewing bill
Several legislative interim committees are holding their first meetings of the year today, including the Campaign Finance Reform Interim Committee. Phil McGrane, chief deputy Ada County clerk, described SB 1337 to the panel, at co-chair Sen. Patti Anne Lodge’s request. McGrane said he’s been working...
The tale of the tie...
Fourth-term Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, has tried to carry on a tradition passed down to him from former Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, of wearing a different tie each day of the legislative session, and never a repeat. That requires lots of ties, and...
Senate convenes, recesses 'til 3:30 this afternoon...
The Idaho Senate came back into session today, and after some pointed words aimed at Gov. Butch Otter over a message he sent lawmakers on a school budget bill, recessed until 3:30 this afternoon, just like the House. Both parties will caucus at 1 p.m.…
Bedke presents Idaho flag that flew over House chamber to Rep. Bell
Before the House broke for a mid-day break today, Speaker Scott Bedke made a special presentation to Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, the longtime House Appropriations chair who is retiring after this year – he presented her with the Idaho flag that flew over the House…
House returns, but recesses 'til 3:30 without taking any action...
The House returned, but then recessed until 3:30 p.m., with both majority and minority caucuses set for 3 p.m. “We’ll know more, we’re waiting for some more information on the other side, and there’s some things going on that we’ll need to know more before…
House returning after full hour of GOP caucus over possible override...
House Republicans are now returning to the floor, after spending a full hour behind closed doors in caucus over a possible override vote on the governor's veto of HB 501, a bill regarding teacher evaluations. Minority Democrats didn't caucus, instead remaining on the floor or...
House convenes, goes to caucus re possible override
The House convened this morning, but then almost immediately went at ease for a majority party caucus – to discuss whether or not to attempt to override Gov. Butch Otter’s veto yesterday of HB 501, a measure dealing with teacher evaluations. House Education Chair Julie…
MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2018
Otter signs 45 bills, lets discretionary $ increase in school budget become law without his signature
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter signed 45 bills into law today, including measures encouraging gun safety classes in Idaho schools; overhauling the state’s foster care laws; expanding suicide prevention education; restricting the use of public funds to campaign for candidates or ballot measures; and requiring ignition…
Otter vetoes bill on teacher evaluations and the Idaho Reading Indicator
Gov. Butch Otter has issued his first veto of the session, slapping his big, red VETO stamp on HB 501, legislation from House Education Chair Julie VanOrden, R-Pingree, to remove the Idaho Reading Indicator from the list of assessment tools that school districts may use...
Idaho H&W says estimate of Medicaid gap population has dropped from 78K to up to 62K
The estimated number of Idahoans who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to qualify for subsidized health insurance through Idaho’s insurance exchange has dropped at least 20 percent over the past four years and possibly as much as 35 percent, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said Monday. There are currently between...
Sen. Patrick, Rep. Erpelding urge feds not to scrap NAFTA, which they say has been 'a game-changer for Idaho'
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jim Patrick, R-Twin Falls, and House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, have authored a joint op-ed piece urging politicians in Washington, D.C. not to terminate or make substantial changes to NAFTA, saying the North American Free Trade Agreement has been “a…
Pussy Riot targets Trump in Republican stronghold of Idaho
Idaho is not the most obvious place to attract members of the Russian punk collective Pussy Riot. But even in the Republican stronghold that strongly supports President Donald Trump, Pussy Riot members carved out time late Saturday to swing by Boise during their first North American tour, the AP reports. "There is power in doing...
Senate convenes, then 10 minutes later, adjourns 'til tomorrow...
Today’s Senate session lasted all of 10 minutes, and that was it. The list of bills that Gov. Butch Otter has signed most recently was read across the desk, along with one he allowed to become law without his signature. A substitute lawmaker, Joni Burtenshaw,…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.