Though he's been actively campaigning since last spring, Vaughn Ward, GOP candidate for the 1st District congressional seat, has scheduled a 14-stop "Official Ward for Congress Announcement Tour" with "Special Guest Secretary Dirk Kempthorne," starting next Tuesday in Emmett. He'll hit Meridian, Boise, Bonners Ferry,…
The Idaho Meth Project released poll results today showing it's making progress toward its top goal - convincing Idaho teens and young people that it's dangerous to try methamphetamine even once. In the project's latest survey, 66 percent of teens and 78 percent of young…
State Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, who's running in the GOP primary for the 1st District congressional seat, has announced that he raised $30,000 in December, bringing his campaign warchest to a total of $80,000. That's because he also put in $50,000 of his own money,…
Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, proposed legislation this morning that he's calling the "Idaho Health Freedom Act" to both ban the state from enforcing any requirements for Idahoans or Idaho businesses to purchase health insurance, and ban enforcement of any penalties for not doing so.…
After two tied votes, a deadlocked House State Affairs Committee refused this morning to introduce legislation proposed by the state Department of Parks & Recreation to increase fees for invasive species stickers for boats that just were imposed last year. The fees for non-motorized craft,…
Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, asked Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong whether he'd considered cutting department employees' salaries and benefits. "Have you done an analysis for your department about salary reduction, and how that might save front-line services?" she asked. Armstrong said furloughs already reduce…
JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, says "in all likelihood" the state will have to impose yet another holdback, beyond the 1.6 percent additional mid-year budget cut already proposed by Gov. Butch Otter. "That was based on numbers as of Nov. 30th," Cameron said of the…
Budget cuts have had severe impact at the state Department of Health & Welfare, Director Dick Armstrong told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning. Much of Health & Welfare consists of programs in which the federal government provides matching money tied to state spending; in…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
