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News >  ID Government

Idaho House backs North Idaho rep’s anti-Sharia law bill

Tue., Feb. 20, 2018

The Idaho House on Tuesday approved North Idaho Rep. Eric Redman’s anti-Sharia law bill by a nearly two-to-one margin, the furthest Redman has gotten with his proposal in three years of trying.

News >  ID Government

Idaho Senate panel advances measure to ban hand-held cell phones while driving

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 20, 2018

BOISE - Idaho lawmakers eager to curb rising numbers of fatal and serious injury car accidents are pursuing a ban on driving while talking on hand-held cell phones.

News >  ID Government

Idaho resolution says porn is creating ‘public health crisis’

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 20, 2018

Pornography is “creating a public health crisis,” according to a resolution introduced by an Idaho House committee on Tuesday.

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News >  ID Government

Alternative tax bill killed; Idaho House panel dumps Senate chair’s proposal

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 20, 2018

An Idaho House panel on Monday killed the Senate tax chairman's alternative tax-cut bill; it drew only one "yes" vote in the House tax committee.

News >  ID Government

Protesters calling for repeal of Idaho’s faith-healing exemption deliver 183 child-sized coffins to Capitol steps

UPDATED: Mon., Feb. 19, 2018

Protesters marched to the Idaho state Capitol on Monday with 183 child-sized, symbolic coffins, which they stacked on the Statehouse steps as they called for Idaho lawmakers to repeal the state’s faith-healing exemption, under which parents are immune from criminal or civil liability if they deny their children medical care and the kids die.

News >  ID Government

Idaho House debates, kills nullification bill; North Idaho lawmakers split

UPDATED: Mon., Feb. 19, 2018

The Idaho House on Monday, after much debate, killed legislation proposed by Rep. Paul Shepherd declaring that Idaho lawmakers can void federal laws and court decisions, and attempting to set up a process to accomplish that.

News >  ID Government

Idaho school budget set with 5.9 percent increase for next year; no rancor or dissent

UPDATED: Mon., Feb. 19, 2018

Idaho lawmakers on Monday set a public school budget for next year that reflects a 5.9 percent, $100 million increase in state funding next year – and it passed unanimously and with no debate or dissent.

Opinion >  Column

Eye on Boise: Otter welcomes debate over competing tax-cut bills

UPDATED: Sat., Feb. 17, 2018

Two alternative tax-cut plans – competing with Gov. Butch Otter’s big income tax-cut proposal, which already has passed the House – were introduced in the Idaho Legislature last week, and Otter says he’s fine with that.

News >  ID Government

Move to limit local bond, levy elections clears House panel on party-line vote

UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 16, 2018

North Idaho Rep. Heather Scott’s bill to ban retries of local bond or tax levy elections, even with changes or reductions, for a year after voters reject them cleared a House committee Friday on a party-line vote and headed to the full House for amendments.

News >  ID Government

Idaho lawmakers agree to hear new statewide conflict-of-interest disclosure bill

UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 16, 2018

New statewide conflict-of-interest disclosure legislation – which would require filings for all Idaho candidates and officeholders, disclosing their occupation and employer and other potential conflicts of interest, but not income – was introduced in the House State Affairs Committee on Friday with just two “no” votes.

News >  ID Government

Murray, Otter in war of words over Idaho’s health insurance move

UPDATED: Thu., Feb. 15, 2018

Washington Sen. Patty Murray on Thursday criticized Idaho’s decision to allow the sale of health insurance plans that don’t comply with Obamacare rules as “illegal Idaho junk plans,” prompting Idaho Gov. Butch Otter to retort that Washington has sanctuary cities and recreational marijuana – also bucking federal rules.

News >  ID Government

Otter admits lawmakers not backing his higher ed CEO plan

UPDATED: Thu., Feb. 15, 2018

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter appears to be conceding that lawmakers won’t back his proposal for a new higher education CEO this year.

News >  ID Government

Testimony favors new Idaho science standards

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 14, 2018

Testimony was 100 percent in favor of proposed new school science standards at an Idaho Senate committee hearing on Wednesday, after a House panel voted earlier to remove large portions of the new standards.

News >  ID Government

Idaho lawmakers again reject raising smoking age to 21

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 14, 2018

For a second straight year, an Idaho Senate committee has killed legislation proposed by health advocates to raise Idaho’s smoking age to 21.

News >  ID Government

Idaho lawmakers look to protect folks who break into hot cars to rescue suffering pets

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 14, 2018

Legislation to grant legal immunity to people who break into a hot car to rescue a suffering pet has cleared an Idaho Senate committee.

News >  ID Government

Idaho House panel backs bill to declare that state lawmakers can overturn federal laws, court decisions

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 14, 2018

An Idaho House committee on Wednesday backed legislation declaring that Idaho lawmakers can void federal laws and court decisions, and setting up a process to do so, despite an Idaho attorney general’s opinion that the measure likely wouldn’t withstand a court challenge.

News >  ID Government

Campaign finance reform bill introduced, over two North Idaho reps’ objections

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 13, 2018

Over the objections of two North Idaho lawmakers, campaign finance reform legislation was introduced in the Idaho Legislature on Tuesday, requiring more frequent and more detailed reporting by candidates and political action committees, to be posted online in a single, searchable database.

News >  ID Government

Idaho bill to designate huckleberry pie as official state dessert has ‘pie-partisan’ support

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 13, 2018

An eastern Idaho fourth-grade class wants huckleberry pie to be designated as the official state dessert, and an Idaho House committee – despite some dissent – agreed to introduce the bill on Tuesday.

News >  ID Government

Idaho House narrowly approves restoring non-emergency Medicaid dental benefits

Mon., Feb. 12, 2018

A divided Idaho House narrowly passed legislation Monday to restore non-emergency dental coverage to more than 30,000 Idaho Medicaid recipients who’ve only had coverage for emergency extractions since 2011 – resulting in a jump in serious complications that have been costing the state’s Medicaid program far more.

News >  ID Government

Proposed Idaho law targets slowpokes in the fast lane

UPDATED: Mon., Feb. 12, 2018

Idaho would crack down on slowpokes in freeway fast lanes, under legislation that cleared a divided House Transportation Committee on Monday.

Opinion >  Column

Eye on Boise: Lawmakers say they want to ease state licensing rules

Sun., Feb. 11, 2018

More than a dozen GOP lawmakers announced last week that they’re forming a “Regulatory Reform Joint Subcommittee” to examine the rules and regulations of state occupational licensing boards and look for ways to streamline them.

News >  ID Government

After much debate, Idaho lawmakers reject call to amend U.S. Constitution

UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 9, 2018

Idaho lawmakers have rejected a call to convene a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution, with the aim of passing a balanced budget amendment and otherwise restricting federal power.

News >  ID Government

Idaho’s catastrophic health care program sees jump in cases

UPDATED: Thu., Feb. 8, 2018

Caseloads for Idaho’s Catastrophic Health Care Fund have taken a sharp upturn this year, and they’re expected to continue to rise as more Idahoans are priced out of health insurance or decide not to purchase it as the federal government lifts its individual mandate.

News >  ID Government

Idaho House approves big tax-cut bill in party-line vote

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 7, 2018

The Idaho House voted along party lines in favor of a $200 million-plus income tax cut on Wednesday, after more than an hour of heated debate.

News >  ID Government

Idaho lawmakers call for axing parts of new school science standards

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 7, 2018

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 nonrenewable energy resources and their impacts on the environment – including air pollution.