Watercolors bloom, budget-setting starts as session enters its 7th week…

As this year’s legislative session opens its 7 ^th week, signs abound that it’s reached its next phase. The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee held its first 7 a.m. work session this morning, preparing to begin setting agency budgets at 8 a.m. Those up today – the Department of Finance, state Liquor Division and Lottery Commission, regulatory boards, Endowment Fund Investment Board, Energy Resources, PUC and Lava Hot Springs Foundation – don’t include any state general funds, instead operating solely on dedicated or federal funds. Still, budget writers are scrutinizing those agencies’ spending plans, down to the number of computer replacements at the regulatory boards, a $6,400 expense, and plans to replace the locking and security card access system at the Lottery Commission’s office and warehouse.

Meanwhile, the annual Idaho Watercolor Society art show has opened in the 4 ^th floor rotunda of the Capitol, with nearly 100 watercolor works, from ducks paddling on tranquil waters to florals, landscapes, still lifes and more, on display. Most are for sale, with prices ranging from $150 to $3,800.

On the floors below, there’s a busy day of committee hearings and floor action on a range of legislation; but the fourth-floor art show is removed from all that, a quiet place where just a few people browse the paintings.