Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the failure today of freshman North Idaho Sen. Steve Vick's proposed constitutional amendment to require two-thirds votes not only for any tax increase, but also for any fee hike or the removal or reduction of…
The Idaho Statesman's Dan Popkey reports on something of a media poetry slam in the Statehouse press room this afternoon, with House Majority Leader Mike Moyle and House Minority Leader John Rusche joining in. Check it out at his blog here.
Outgoing Sen. Melinda Smyser, R-Parma, has been named the southwest regional director for Sen. Jim Risch, starting late this spring, Risch announced this afternoon. Smyser will replace Matt Ellsworth in the position, who will remain on the staff but shift to a different position within…
The Senate Health & Welfare Committee has voted 5-3 to kill HB 486a, the bill to ban kids under 16 from using tanning beds and require those age 16 or 17 to have parental consent; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com Sharee…
The Senate Health & Welfare Committee is holding its hearing on HB 486a, the tanning-bed bill, in a different room than normal, WW 55, because another committee meeting in its regular hearing room went long. So far, committee Chairwoman Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, and Vice…
Long-sought legislation to license massage therapists in Idaho, as do 43 other states, has passed the Legislature and headed to Gov. Butch Otter's desk. Among lawmakers who have worked on such bills in the past is former state representative and later Congressman Bill Sali. SB…
The House has now voted 41-28 in favor of sending SB 1369, the unemployment fraud bill, to general orders for amendment. Rep. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, said, "Let's make an attempt to see if we can get this right in the closing days of the…
The motion to send SB 1369 to the amending order has been ruled appropriate. Rep. Jim Marriott, R-Blackfoot, said he'd like to see the bill amended to pay employers "for doing that, filling out that form," rather than fining them for not doing it. The…
As the House reconsiders SB 1369, the unemployment fraud bill, Rep. Janice McGeachin, R-Idaho Falls, said as an employer, she'd "think twice" about hiring another employee because of the bill. "I guarantee you I will think twice about that," she told the House. Rep. Phil…
Now, House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, has called for reconsideration of SB 1369... "I was compelled by the arguments that put the onus for this on the employer," Bedke told the House. "I've had experiences with employers over the last year that make…
The House bogged down today in an extended debate over SB 1369, a Department of Labor bill that passed the Senate unanimously and that would save the state $5 million in unemployment fraud, before finally barely passing the bill on a 36-34 vote. (Note: This…
The Senate has paid tribute to longtime Sen. John Andreason, R-Boise, who is retiring after this year; he's the former legislative budget director. "It has been quite a ride," Andreason told the Senate. "It has been a special privilege and a special pleasure to serve…
With former longtime Idaho Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa, 94, looking on from the gallery, the Idaho House has approved HJM 14, commending peace and reconciliation in the Basque country. "It commends and encourages the peace process," Rep. Carlos Bilbao, R-Emmett, told the House. "Idaho…
HJR 2a, a proposed constitutional amendment adding a right to fish, hunt and trap to the Idaho Constitution, has passed the House on a 63-4 vote with no debate, and now moves to the Senate. The measure, which you can read here, would declare that…
The House has voted 37-33 in favor of HJR 1, the proposed constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote of each house for any tax or fee increase, increase in any existing tax or fee, or removal or reduction in any existing tax break -…
Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis has announced that the Senate hopes to deal with all the bills on its 3rd Reading Calendar today, as well as suspend rules and take up additional ones, but it's not an attempt to finish the legislative session by tomorrow…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Senate has signed off on HB 632, legislation intended to protect Idaho youth athletes from devastating concussions. Senate lawmakers voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the bill, which requires Idaho schools to…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
