The day has ended without word from the Idaho Supreme Court on its next move on the Idaho GOP's lawsuit challenging the makeup of the state's bipartisan citizen redistricting commission. Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa contends the panel can reconvene on Thursday as planned…
Idaho has been losing $645,000 a year administering oversize-load permits including those for so-called megaloads, Lewiston Tribune reporter Bill Spence reported today; the news came out when an ITD official briefed a legislative committee on pending ITD rules, which include fee increases designed to try…
The joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee's decision today to set a revenue figure for next year that's $33.3 million below the governor's estimate could have a variety of impacts. House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, noted that state chief economist Derek Santos…
Rep. Dennis Lake, chairman of the House Rev & Tax Committee, has moved to approve the governor's recommendation for 2012 revenues, then a figure for fiscal 2013 that's a 4.5 percent increase over that at $2.667 billion - $33.3 million short of the governor's figure…
Several members of the joint economic outlook committee have questions for state chief economist Derek Santos, who presented his projections – he's dropped his forecast for state tax revenue growth for this year from 6.4 percent to 4.4 percent, then predicted that next year, revenues…
The Legislature's Joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee is beginning its meeting now; this is when lawmakers will decide on a revenue figure on which to peg the state budget. If they go lower than Gov. Butch Otter's figure, that pushes part of what…
The Senate Education Committee has voted unanimously in favor of SB 1237, a proposal from the state Board of Education to delete a line from the “Students Come First” reform law that, in a definition of what an “online course” is, added the line, “in…
About half an hour ago, House Speaker Lawerence Denney and Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko filed a Petition for Writ of Mandamus in the Idaho Supreme Court, calling on the court to “immediately” order Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa to declare two vacancies on…
The Idaho Republican Party says its chairman, Norm Semanko, and House Speaker Lawerence Denney have made their choices for two new redistricting commissioners: Denney's chosen former state lawmaker Bob Forrey of Nampa, and Semanko has chosen Angela Cross of Post Falls. The party also said…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― The Republican Party is suing the secretary of state over redistricting in the Idaho Supreme Court, contending the party's chairman and the speaker of the House of Representatives have the power to fire…
North Idaho College has seen its funding burden shift more and more to its students, college President Priscilla Bell told Idaho lawmakers today. “As with most higher education institutions, NIC has experienced significant growth in enrollment over the past four years,” she said, even as…
The Senate today has a special resolution up, SR 103, honoring and commending former Secretary of the Senate Jeannine Wood and her chief assistant, Rusti Horton, both of whom have now retired. Wood served as the Senate's secretary from 1990 until this year, and won…
Before the House State Affairs Committee's 13-5 vote in favor of the anti-Occupy bill, Rep. Ken Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs, noted that he's received lots of comments from people who thought he was being disrespectful last week when he asked a man who testified that…
The motion to pass HB 404 as-is has passed on the same 13-5 vote; the only "no" votes were Reps. Janice McGeachin, R-Idaho Falls; Elaine Smith, D-Pocatello; Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise; Elfreda Higgins, D-Garden City; and Phylis King, D-Boise. After the vote, one man tried to…
The motion to hold off and let a subcommittee study changes to HB 404, the anti-Occupy bill, has failed with just five "yes" votes - the House State Affairs Committee's four Democrats plus Rep. Janice McGeachin, R-Idaho Falls. By the same vote, the committee then…
Rep. Janice McGeachin, R-Idaho Falls, said, “I'm just happy that we had a chance and an opportunity to hear from the public, because that's really what this movement is really all about. We may not agree on everything, but … I'm glad that they had…
Rep. Max Black, R-Boise, posed a hypothetical: What if Idaho's dairymen were upset about an issue – laws, prices, or something else, and decided to protest. “Could they back up their truck and unload 100 Holsteins” onto Capitol Mall property? Rep. Scott Bedke responded, “That…
State Rep. Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, sponsor HB 404, said, “I have been impressed by the eloquent defense of the vigil and the passionate nature of the testimony.” But he said lawmakers are charged with maintaining “minimum levels of health and safety” at state buildings. Without…
State Department of Administration Director Teresa Luna told the House State Affairs Committee this morning that when the Occupy Boise group notified her office of its intent to begin an indefinite vigil on state property on the grounds of the Capitol Annex, the department searched…
This morning, the presidents of Idaho's three community colleges – the College of Western Idaho, the College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho College – give their budget pitches to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee; you can watch live here. First up today is CWI President…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
