Senate Transportation Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, has unveiled legislation to give the governor authority to fire the state transportation director, who now reports to the Idaho Transportation Board. The clash between McGee and ITD Director Pam Lowe that the bill symbolizes comes just as the…
Rep. Marge Chadderdon, R-Coeur d'Alene, persuaded the House State Affairs Committee to introduce legislation today to require that whenever any Idaho state agency, college or university, or local government agency in Idaho purchases a U.S. flag or an Idaho state flag, it must be one…
A major renovation of Seiter Hall at North Idaho College won support from the Legislature's joint budget committee this morning, which made it one of just three specific projects to be funded in the state's capital budget for next year. The capital budget proposal cleared…
Both parties in the House left the floor and went into caucus this morning, for a discussion of the governor's latest transportation proposals. The Republicans, who met behind closed doors, emerged saying there's no telling what the outcome will be. "It'll be Thursday," said House…
The House State Affairs Committee has continued its hearing on the pharmacist conscience bill until tomorrow; numerous people remain to testify.
Here's a news item from AP: "Budget writers relented to demands by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's budget chief and refrained from using a fraction of Idaho's federal stimulus windfall to pay for family medicine residencies. At a Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday, some lawmakers favored…
There's a packed hearing and 15 people signed up to testify on Rep. Tom Loertscher's bill to allow Idaho pharmacists, or "any person," to refuse to provide a prescription to a patient on the basis of the person's conscience. Under questioning from House State Affairs…
Rep. Judy Boyle's bill to require the state to issue an official "certificate of fetal death" at the request of a woman who has an early miscarriage or abortion brought an hour of emotional testimony this morning, including "grave concern" expressed by the head of…
The governor's chief of staff called the votes this morning to introduce and send to the full House the governor's new three-year transportation funding proposals "a good gesture on behalf of the committee and the body to allow the issue to go to a vote…
A compromise registration fee proposal, outlined by Jason Kreizenbeck, Gov. Otter's chief of staff, would raise $18 million from increased fees in fiscal year 2010, $39 million in 2011, and $43.7 million in 2012. The measure also includes a 5 percent hike in truck registration…
A voice vote, with just one audible dissent, has sent the governor's compromise fuel tax bill to the full House for a vote. "I think the goal here is to get the bill to the floor so the representatives of the state of Idaho can…
"We have been designated by the speaker as a special committee for the purpose of listening to these bills and possibly printing the bills," House Transportation Chairwoman JoAn Wood told the House Transportation Committee this morning, and Jason Kreizenbeck, Gov. Butch Otter's chief of staff,…
Here's how you know the end of the session is near: The House Transportation Committee is gathering for a special meeting, with no agenda notice on the Internet, at an unaccustomed time, to introduce last-minute bills for a compromise deal with the governor on transportation…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
