The Legislature's joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee has put off its scheduled Thursday meeting, resetting it instead for Jan. 24. "The chairmen asked that we reschedule," said legislative staffer Keith Bybee. Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, co-chairman of the panel, said, "We decided…
Grocery industry lobbyists are eyeing Idaho for a possible liquor privatization push, reports AP reporter John Miller; click below for his full report. Miller reports that an industry lobbyist met with Gov. Butch Otter and other state officials last month over the issue, including inquiries…
Some expected Sen. John McGee to apologize to the Senate when he rose during today's session, but McGee told Eye on Boise, "My family was sitting up there. I was much more focused on, we had just got done with that caucus meeting. That was…
The Senate Education Committee has voted to introduce legislation from state schools Supt. Tom Luna to make a "fairly minor change" in the "Students Come First" school reform laws, to clarify when parent input would be required to be a part of teacher evaluations. "That…
Senate GOP Caucus Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, retained his leadership post today after a closed-door caucus in which GOP senators voted on whether or not to oust him after a bizarre drunken driving incident. It took nearly two hours, with the overlong caucus pushing back…
Senate Republicans have gone behind closed doors to discuss whether Idaho Senate Majority Caucus Chairman John McGee should continue in his leadership role after a bizarre incident that included a DUI conviction; here's a link to a full report from AP reporter John Miller on…
State Historical Society Director Janet Gallimore told legislative budget writers today that 35 states have combined their state archives and their state and local government records management, and she and state Department of Administration Director Teresa Luna are proposing that Idaho do that, too. The…
The last time the Legislature funded raises for state employees was in fiscal year 2009, state Division of Human Resources head Vicki Tokita told legislative budget writers this morning. As a result, state worker salaries now lag 18.6 percent behind market rates, up from 15…
JFAC is holding a special hearing this morning on state workforce budget issues. Legislative Budget Director Cathy Holland-Smith has been detailing the way the state accounts for its employees, which is complicated and varies by funding type and other issues. Bottom line: The "FTP" or…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
