The House will meet on Friday, Speaker Lawerence Denney said this afternoon, "probably just a short time. We'll see what business we have. If there's something we need to do, we're at the point where we can't take a day off." Some lawmakers in both…
Here's a news item from AP: BOISE - A Boise House member demanded - and received - an apology from a northern Idaho lawmaker who accused a 2001 commission of drawing Idaho's 35 legislative districts to intentionally disadvantage some voters. Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart, a Democrat…
The Senate passed some budget bills this afternoon, then adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow. Before adjournment, Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, announced that the Senate will be meeting on Friday morning as well, so that senators know that when they make their weekend…
Duane Nellis, current provost and senior vice president for academics at Kansas State University, has been named the new president of the University of Idaho. Nellis had been a finalist earlier but had withdrawn over pay considerations; the final terms under which he'll take over…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has canceled its meeting that had been scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow. "House leadership requested that we postpone our meeting until perhaps Monday," said Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert. "We will make our decision later, but we will not be…
The Senate has recessed until 1:30, after a contentious procedural dispute between the majority and minority leadership over a possible override vote on the governor's vetoes. Senate Minority Leader Kate Kelly, D-Boise, objected to simply sending the vetoed budget bills back to the finance committee…
As the House prepared to wrap up its business for today, Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, rose and said, "We've got one of those cowboy poets in the loft upstairs, a gentleman from 15, he came up with a little deal that describes our situation pretty…
The House has voted 51-17 in favor of SB 1133, to change how driver's education businesses are regulated; it's a bill that prompted long and contentious hearings in committee. The House is now debating SB 1184, the redistricting bill. Meanwhile, the Senate has begun debating…
Senate Transportation Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, said, "I think the 25 vetoes made it pretty clear that the governor is dug in. It's up to us to come up with a plan. ... We've got to continue to have discussions." Though the House yesterday killed…
It's Earth Day, it's warm and sunny, and it's the 101st day of the legislative session. At the Capitol Annex, both houses are scheduled to go on the floor at 9:30 and run some bills, but both are running a bit late; the House has…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
