AG’s budget bill passes House, heads for governor’s desk
SB 1141, the budget bill for the Idaho Attorney General's office, has passed the House on a 60-9 vote; there was no debate, but those voting "no" included Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, who's proposed setting up a separate "Office of Legislative Counsel" to provide legal advice to the Legislature and shifting money for that from the attorney general's budget. Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, who presented the budget bill, noted that the budget includes an additional 1.1 percent cut in state general funds and more furlough days for the office's employees next year, which impact legal services to all state agencies. "This is an adequate budget, it's not the best budget," Jaquet said. The budget bill, which earlier passed the Senate on a 30-4 vote, now goes to the governor's desk.