Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law bills creating two new special license plates - one to benefit mountain biking trails around the state, and the other to benefit wilderness stewardship through the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation. The mountain biking plate bill, HB 486, was sponsored by…
The question of whether Idaho will have another wolf-hunting season next year is up to a federal court, which is weighing challenges to the removal of the gray wolf from the endangered species list - the move that permitted state wolf management including regulated hunts.…
Today, Idaho closes the first-ever regulated wolf-hunting season in the lower 48 states, and state Fish & Game officials are calling it a success. "I'd be severely disappointed if we don't have a hunting season next year, because we played by the rules, we worked…
Sarah Palin has endorsed Vaughn Ward in Idaho's 1st Congressional District GOP primary, adding oomph to a race in which the two leading contenders have been trying to out-conservative each other. “I’m happy to support Vaughn Ward because I know that he believes in the…
AAA Idaho is praising teens who came out to support a ban on texting while driving during this year's legislative session, even though the bill was killed in a procedural move in the House on the final night of the legislative session, amid a tussle…
The Idaho AARP has released its list of "winners and losers" of this year's legislative session. Among the winners: State retirees, grandparents, older drivers and older voters. Among the losers: Those with living wills or advance directives, Medicaid recipients and Idahoans struggling with health care…
Democratic leaders Rep. John Rusche, D-Lewiston, and Sen. Kate Kelly, D-Boise, called this year's legislative session a "difficult" one, and said its impact will be felt for years. "Cuts will mean less law enforcement officers on duty, more students in classrooms, less help for Idahoans…
Here are some more of Gov. Butch Otter's reactions to the just-concluded legislative session:TOP PAY: The governor praised a pay bill for the state's top elected officials put together by House Speaker Lawerence Denney and Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes, which cuts pay next year,…
Gov. Butch Otter this morning applauded the just-concluded legislative session, particularly lauding lawmakers for not raising taxes. The governor praised lawmakers' "efficiency, sensitivity and civic virtue," and said they stuck to five principles he outlined: 1) Don't raise taxes. 2)Maintain some cash reserve. 3) Protect…
It was Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, who objected to House Majority Leader Mike Moyle's unanimous-consent request to use a previous roll-call to suspend rules and allow the immediate consideration of the amended texting-while-driving bill, which then led to the bill being killed in the final…
The House has adjourned sine die, without passing anything to ban texting while driving, an issue that drew teens from around the state to testify to lawmakers this year and send petitions pleading for such a ban. The House refused to go along with Senate…
The House has failed to get a two-thirds vote to suspend its rules to take up the amended texting-while-driving bill; the vote was 37-30. That's not two-thirds. So now the House is moving to adjourn sine die - without passing anything to ban texting while…
The Senate has voted to adjourn sine die, "in honor of our retiring mninority leaders, Sen. Kate Kelly and Sen. Clint Stennett, and their service." That's at 8:55 p.m. Mountain time.
When so many bills pass in one dayAfter long weeks held progress at bayFor right or for wrongAll that plodding alongWhat was the reason to stay?
It was darn close - and the vote teetered both ways before finally settling down - but the final tally was 37-31, so the House has voted to concur in the Senate amendments to HB 729, the texting-while-driving bill. The measure still needs a vote…
Senators are saying their goodbyes and applauding, while House members are hotly debating whether to concur in the Senate amendments to the House-passed texting-while-driving bill. Several are urging non-concurrence - which would mean Idaho wouldn't pass a texting-while-driving ban this year, though dozens of teens…
The House has received the delegation from the Senate with word that the Senate has completed its business for this year's legislative session and plans to adjourn sine die; House Speaker Lawerence Denney responded that the House expects to send a similar message back to…
The Senate has reached the end of its business, and sent committees to notify the governor and the House that it's prepared to adjourn sine die, or "without a day," the latin phrase used to signify the end of the legislative session.
The Senate has voted 30-4 in favor of HB 729a, the House-passed version of the texting-while-driving ban, as amended in the Senate. "What we've done is a middle-of-the-road approach," said Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, the Senate transportation chairman. The bill still needs House concurrence in…
The House is going at ease for an hour. House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, told the House just now, there there's "one bill here, a couple at the desk, a couple coming from the other side" and then they'll be done. "So our intention…
The Senate is back on the floor, and taking up the bills it just amended, including HB 589a, the Idaho Firearms Freedom Act. At this point, the Senate has just 10 bills left to deal with - before it adjourns sine die.
The Senate has finished its amending order, leaving three bills unamended: SB 1348 and SB 1350 on bicycles, and SB 1271, Sen. John McGee's immigration bill on false documents. Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis asked unanimous consent to refer those three bills to the State…
The House has voted 43-26 in favor of SJM 106, the non-binding memorial calling for amending the U.S. Constitution to ban health care mandates. It was a surprisingly divided vote for a measure pushed by Gov. Butch Otter in the heavily GOP Legislature. The memorial…
A number of House Republicans are joining Democrats in debating against SJM 106, the measure calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban health care mandates. "I don't take amending the Constitution lightly," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle. "I will not stand still…
The Senate is in its 14th Order for amendments, and has amended HB 589, the "Idaho Firearms Freedom Act," and HB 614, a bill regarding administrative rules. They're now considering amendments to HB 681, a measure regarding the medically indigent.
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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