Idaho Legislature this week in photos 4/27/5/1/09

Here is the 16th of Idaho's 2009 legislative session in photos

Section:Gallery

Sun., May 3, 2009

Substitute Sen. Bob Geddes - father of Senate President Pro-tem Bob Geddes, for whom he's substituting this week - talks with Sens. John McGee, R-Caldwell, and Denton Darrington, R-Declo, right. The senior Geddes is a former longtime state representative and co-chairman of the Legislature's joint budget committee.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, addresses an open Democratic caucus on Monday. At right is House Assistant Minority Leader James Ruchti, D-Pocatello.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, answers questions from reporters after a closed majority caucus on Monday morning.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Rep. Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, pitches legislation to raise Department of Motor Vehicle fees to the House Transportation Committee. The panel voted unanimously in favor of the $13.1 million increase in annual fees, sending the bill to the full House.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
The House Ways & Means Committee meets, without notice, on Monday afternoon. Among its business was new legislation regarding public school finances.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House members mill around in their chamber Monday, on a day when they were in and out of session throughout the day, often on little notice.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, shares a laugh with JFAC member Rep. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, on Monday afternoon. The joint budget committee, which delayed meeting last week, is set to meet Tuesday morning.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, right, explains the House GOP leadership's plan to adjourn for the session on Wednesday without passing the governor's transportation plan - forcing the Senate or governor to call it back into session against its will. At left is House Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Senate GOP leaders, including Senate Transportation Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, center, and Senate Assistant Majority Leader Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston, right, return from a meeting with the governor and House GOP leaders late Monday, at which the governor reiterated his commitment to winning a substantial transportation funding increase before this year's legislative session ends.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee meets on Tuesday morning.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna addresses JFAC on Tuesday morning.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, urges support for his legislation to retroactively end an early teacher retirement incentive program.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, co-chairwoman of JFAC, presides over a rare meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, the House half of the joint budget committee.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House GOP leaders Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, center, and Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, right, answer questions from reporters Tuesday, including Brian Murphy of the Idaho Statesman, left.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, said Tuesday, "We occasionally lock horns and wrestle over things. As frustrating as it is, we do get better results."

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
The Senate Finance Committee meets Wednesday morning to consider deferred compensation legislation for top university employees.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House GOP leaders return from a meeting with the governor Wednesday, without a deal on transportation funding.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Senate and House leaders walk across Capitol Park, returning to the Capitol Annex from a meeting with Gov. Butch Otter on Wednesday morning. The meeting failed to yield a compromise on transportation funding.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Reps. George Sayler, D-Coeur d'Alene, and Liz Chavez, D-Lewiston, participate in an open House Democratic caucus on Wednesday. Members said they were disappointed at House GOP leaders' plan to try to unilaterally adjourn the session.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House Republicans emerge from an hour-long closed-door caucus that ran through the lunch hour on Wednesday.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, left, talks with Speaker Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, center, and Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, right, after a closed-door GOP caucus on Wednesday.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
The House Ways & Means Committee meets Wednesday to introduce three last-minute bills, including a new compromise on election consolidation.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House GOP leaders Ken Roberts, majority caucus chairman, left, and Scott Bedke, assistant majority leader, right, speak at a press conference Wednesday afternoon about the House's plan to unilaterally adjourn.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Senate Transportation Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, was unimpressed with a House proposal for an interim committee to study transportation funding, saying it's already been studied and talked about more than any other issue.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Rep. Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, left, answers a question from Rep. John Rusche, D-Lewiston, during debate over sweeping election consolidation legislation that passed the House Wednesday.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
The Idaho Senate meets on Wednesday, a day when it passed major legislation including budgets for public schools and transportation.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House members gather for pizza in a room behind their chamber, as their session stretches into the evening on Wednesday.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Here's the sign a House delegation left on a Senate office door on Wednesday night: "See ya later, gone home - Sincerely, Best wishes, The House"

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
House and Senate Democrats hold a press conference on Thursday morning to protest the House Republicans' move the night before to attempt to unilaterally adjourn the legislative session.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, urges the Senate to support the amended version of the day care licensing bill, SB 1112a, because "it's still better than what we have right now." The Senate sent the House-amended bill to the governor; it's Idaho's first move to regulate small day care centers, including requiring criminal background checks for operators.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, presents a new version of election consolidation legislation to the Senate State Affairs Committee on Friday morning. The new version has passed the House.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
The Senate State Affairs Committee sweeping election reform legislation that consolidates all of Idaho's elections onto four dates.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Gov. Butch Otter signs legislation setting Idaho's public school budget at a press conference Friday.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review
Gov. Butch Otter calls on lawmakers to pass his transportation plan.

Betsy Russell The Spokesman-Review