Gov. Butch Otter speaks to reporters at AP Legislative Forum in Boise, 1/8/09. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Idaho House members talk after they convened their annual session, 1/12/09. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
New Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little presides over the state Senate for the first time, 1/12/09. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Senators file in to join House members for the Idaho State of the State address at the BSU Special Events Center. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Joint session of the Idaho Legislature awaits arrival of Gov. Butch Otter. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter speaks to a joint session of the Legislature in his State of the State message, 1-12-09. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Gov. Butch Otter addresses the press after his State of the State speech, 1/12/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Rep. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, and Gov. Butch Otter engage in an impromptu debate about state funding priorities after Otter's State of the State speech, 1/12/09. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, won a two-way race for Senate majority caucus chairman on Monday. 1/12/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Idaho Gov. C. L. " Butch" Otter delivers his annual State of the State and Budget Address to a joint session of the Idaho legislature at Boise State University on Monday. (Associated Press)
Legislative Budget Director Cathy Holland-Smith briefs the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee at its first meeting, as the Idaho legislative session gets under way. 1/13/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Wayne Hammon, Gov. Butch Otter's budget chief, addresses lawmakers on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, 1/13/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Senate Assistant Minority Leader Kate Kelly, left, and House Minority Leader John Rusche, right, respond to Gov. Butch Otter's State of the State message, 1/13/09. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Baillee Schott, 11, of Bozeman, takes a picture at the Cataldo Mission on her way to Spokane on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. State officials say budget cuts will force them to end funding July 1 to the Old Mission State Park in North Idaho, the location of the state's oldest standing building. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)
Members of the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee review the impact of 4 percent budget holdbacks on state agencies, 1/14/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, center, backs an accounting change that saves the state $10 million in this year's budget. Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, is on the right, and Rep. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, on the left. The change, a recommendation from Gov. Butch Otter, won unanimous support on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Hundreds of disabled Idahoans, family members and advocates gathered at the Capitol Annex to protest budget cuts in services for the disabled, 1/15/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, co-chairs the Idaho Legislature's joint budget committee. 1/16/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa addresses legislative budget writers, 1/16/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls. 1/16/09 (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Betsy Russell's recent photos from the Idaho Legislature.