On tonight's “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, I join Jim Weatherby, Corey Taule, and host Greg Hahn to discuss the events of the week, and Greg interviews Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, and airs footage of state schools Supt. Tom Luna addressing…
Gas prices have jumped by 18 cents, the second-largest one-week increase since 1990, the AAA reports, second only to the September 2005 spike after Hurricane Katrina. The rise pushed the average U.S. gas price to $3.47 per gallon, and the Idaho average to $3.28 a…
Idaho's colleges and universities will have to rely more on student tuition and fees under a budget lawmakers set Friday, but they stopped short of even deeper cuts to match their current strategy for balancing the state budget. “I know that universities have borne a…
The Idaho Fish & Game Commission has announced it has six candidates to replace Director Cal Groen, who is retiring; all six will be interviewed, and the new director will be named by the end of the month. They include four who currently work for…
The Senate has voted unanimously, 35-0, to ban the designer drug that's been marketed in head shops as "bath salts" and the chemical that's been marketed as "spice" or a synthetic form of marijuana, sending both House-passed bills to the governor's desk. "There's no other…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would prohibit women from getting an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy has cleared its first hurdle in the Idaho Senate. The Senate State Affairs Committee introduced a bill Friday…
The higher education appropriation set this morning by JFAC, $209.8 million in state general funds, is the lowest in 11 years, when the fiscal year 2000 appropriation was $202 million. Twenty-one years ago, in 1990, the state's appropriation for colleges and universities was 14.9 percent…
Although the state Board of Education in December permitted Idaho's colleges and universities to seek student tuition and fee increases beyond the usual 10 percent limit this year, Mike Rush, executive director for the office of the state board, said today that he doesn't expect…
The Idaho state capitol renovation project has won a national award, the "Design Matters" award for 2010 from the American Institute of Architects. "After a century of service, use, and countless modifications which eroded the historical character of the building and grounds, the Idaho State…
JFAC has set a bare-bones budget for the state's community colleges, calling for a 3.9 percent cut in their state general funds and a 5.6 percent cut in total funds. None of the community colleges' requests for funding, including those to cover enrollment increases, are…
First, Rep. Shirley Ringo's motion on the higher ed budget failed on a 4-16 straight party-line vote, with only the four Democrats on JFAC supporting it. Then, Sen. Dean Cameron's substitute motion failed on a 9-11 vote. Finally, Sen. Dean Mortimer's original motion passed on…
"I know that universities have borne a heavier burden than other entities," said JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron. "That's not because want them to. ... They are much more able to adapt and work through this than any of the other agencies we are setting budgets…
Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, said of Rep. Shirley Ringo's proposal for higher ed funding, "This $25 million was put in from the general fund, and that was kind of an unofficial settlement of the schools lawsuit. The intention is certainly honorable. ... But ... in…
Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, said, "We are in a difficult economic situation. How we are going to come out of it is going to depend on some of the decisions we make now." The fund she wants to tap to help out the higher ed…
JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron said the joint committee's goal is to balance the budget, but members understand that some areas of the state budget can't take further cuts - including corrections, Idaho State Police, the judicial branch and ag research. "In my opinion ... we…
Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, asked JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, "Are we binding the universities to fully fund CAES out of other programs?" Cameron responded, "The money flows through the state Board of Education, so the board has the authority." The motions include lump-sum authority,…
Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, proposed a budget for Idaho's colleges and universities for next year that includes a 3.5 percent cut in state general funds and a 5 percent increase overall, as compared to the governor's recommendation for a 1.3 percent cut in general…
JFAC has voted 19-0 to set a budget for the state Department of Administration for next year that includes a 5.5 percent cut in its state general funds, and an 11.7 percent cut overall. Gov. Butch Otter had proposed just a 1.2 percent cut in…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has big decisions coming up this morning, as it sets the higher education budgets - those for the state's colleges and universities and community colleges. The pressure is on to make deeper cuts, because thus far, the budgets JFAC has set…
Last year, when setting the budget for the state Department of Administration, lawmakers added a clause requiring a 90-day delay before state employees became eligible for health insurance. JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said, "We did that because we believed there would be a savings…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
