State Controller Donna Jones has issued a press release on the topic of HB 263, the unsuccessful proposal from Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, this year to essentially put the state's checkbook online. Jones says her office has already been working on exactly that, and will…
The budget for the state Department of Environmental Quality, which was briefly held up earlier in the House amid controversy over funding to implement the Coeur d'Alene Lake Management Plan, has passed the Senate unanimously without any debate. The bill, HB 276, earlier passed the…
Both the House and Senate GOP caucuses, which met behind closed doors to talk about what they're calling "Son of 1222," the new budget deal with the governor, were generally receptive to the deal, according to House GOP Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, and Senate…
After putting it off repeatedly from one day to the next, the House today decided to delay taking up one of the bills on its 3rd Reading calendar - SB 1152, a bill changing some legal details regarding worker's compensation that's sponsored by Senate Majority…
Now both parties in the House are caucusing, the Republicans behind closed doors, the Democrats openly. Like the other side, all are talking about the tentative deal between lawmakers and the governor on statewide personnel cuts and other issues in the final budget bill that…
Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, when it came time for announcements in the Senate before recessing until 2 p.m., noted that today is the birthday of Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, and the Senate wished him a happy birthday. "Of course, if we stay here long enough,…
Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes, R-Soda Springs, told the Senate that the project to renovate the state Capitol is now 20 days behind schedule, instead of the previous 28 days. "Progress is being made," he said.
Now the Senate is back in session, to pick up a couple of bills from its 2nd Reading calendar, on inventory stickers on liquor bottles and on food service in the state Capitol, before going to lunch. The Senate finance chairman is scheduled to brief…
Senate Democrats are in their open caucus, talking. Senate Republicans are still behind closed doors in their caucus, talking. And the House is in the midst of a protracted debate over a bighorn sheep bill.
The Senate has taken a break and Republicans headed into a closed-door caucus, with the now-usual large chair wedged against the door of their meeting room to keep it closed. Senate Democrats haven't gone into caucus yet; when a reporter snapped a photo of them…
Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, brought his legislation promoting employees storing guns in their cars at work to the Senate State Affairs Committee, where it barely passed on a 4-3 vote. Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, spoke out in favor of the bill,…
House State Affairs Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, was presenting the redistricting bill to his committee this morning when he got a tough question. Glancing behind him, he said, "I see the cavalry is here," and deferred to Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes, R-Soda Springs, House…
AP reporter John Miller writes that today's maneuvering between the House, the Senate and the governor over the big disputes that are holding up this year's legislative session is going the House's way, and House leaders are pressing their advantage. Click below to read his…
Gov. Butch Otter met today with the co-chairs of JFAC and with GOP leaders from the House and Senate, and "we had a meeting of the minds today," said Jon Hanian, Otter's spokesman. "It was a productive meeting, and we're hopeful." The discussion today covered…
In today's 28-42 defeat of SB 1148, Gov. Butch Otter's liquor license bill, there was plenty of opposition from eastern Idaho, but perhaps more surprising was the level of opposition from North Idaho. Of the 12 representatives from the six northernmost districts, just four voted…
The Idaho House has voted 42-28 against Gov. Butch Otter's major legislation to revamp Idaho's liquor license system, which sought to end the state's 62-year-old population-based quota system and let localities approve new liquor licenses for restaurants or hotels. Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, the…
Here's how the House voted in its 18-51 defeat of SB 1222, the big, final budget bill that yesterday passed the Senate on a 34-1 vote:Voting in favor: 18 of the 19 House Democrats, excepting only Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, who was absent; plus Rep.…
The House has voted 18-51 on SB 1222, killing the big, final budget bill that passed the Senate yesterday on a 34-1 vote. It's not clear what'll happen next on that; now the House has gone on to begin debating the controversial liquor license law…
With two motions pending in the Senate Education Committee on HB 303, one from Sen. Gary Schroeder to hold the bill in committee and a substitute motion from Sen. Monty Pearce to send it to the full Senate with a recommendation that it "do-pass," committee…
HB 303, the controversial bill that passed the House yesterday regarding "use it or lose it" rules for school districts and "virtual" or online education, has been sent to the Senate's amending order, the 14th Order, on a 5-4 vote in the Senate Education Committee.…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on today's developments, as lawmakers in the House and Senate clashed over the budget and transportation funding. In this photo, from the Senate Transportation Committee meeting, Sens. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, and Shawn…
SB 1222 has passed the Senate on a 34-1 vote. The bill eliminates the proposed 3 percent across-the-board pay cut for state employees, imposes a 5 percent general-fund reduction in personnel costs but "backfills" it with federal stimulus funds to bring the effect of the…
Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, just offered his interpretation on how the Legislature can pass a "non-severable" bill though the governor has line-item veto power on appropriation bills. "He can line item out one of the appropriations or another at will," Darrington told the Senate. "He…
Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, has given the introduction to SB 1222, the omnibus bill that covers the final JFAC actions, from statewide personnel cuts to spending of federal stimulus money. It's a big, complex bill that also provides various tools to the governor…
The Senate is back in session, and is suspending rules and passing budget bills that were on its second-reading calendar. So far, the votes all have been unanimous or near-unanimous. Senators are working their way up to the omnibus bill from JFAC regarding statewide personnel…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
