A coalition of labor groups is sponsoring a public session in the Capitol Auditorium on Wednesday evening entitled, “Kitchen Table Economics: The Status of Working Families in Idaho,” featuring economist Stephen Cooke on the effect of a repeal of the personal property tax on business…
The Senate Education Committee heard a presentation this afternoon from Alan Dornfest, property tax policy supervisor for the Idaho State Tax Commission, on the impact of a possible repeal of the personal property tax on business equipment on Idaho school districts. The upshot: With only…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has issued a “Call to Action,” calling on Idahoans to support his push for a state-based health insurance exchange, rather than ceding to a federally operated exchange. “Today I submitted legislation to create a state-based health insurance exchange. I learned that…
State law requires a study and report to the governor and Legislature each year on how Idaho’s state employee compensation stacks up compared to the market. The result this year: Idaho’s classified employee salaries are 18.9 percent below market. That’s compared to comparable jobs in…
David Hensley, chief of staff for Gov. Butch Otter, said the governor’s proposal for a state health care exchange is “really straightforward.” He said, “We are exercising our state sovereignty and maintaining as much decision making authority as possible.” The exchange would be a quasi-governmental…
“I feel a bit like a warm-up act for some big band,” said Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, as he stepped forward to introduce his proposed bill in Senate Commerce this afternoon on state hiring of disabled veterans. Next up after his proposal is Gov. Butch…
There’s a pretty full house in the Senate Commerce Committee this afternoon, where the governor’s long-awaited health insurance exchange legislation is scheduled to be introduced. It’s the third item on the agenda; it’s not a public hearing, just a bill introduction.
House and Senate Democrats unveiled a five-bill package of legislation this morning aimed at enhancing voting rights, from allowing online voter registration – something they said 15 states already have – to, like most other states, adopting a “Motor Voter” law requiring voter registration materials…
Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, asked Karen Echeverria, executive director of the Idaho School Boards Association, whether Proposition 1 actually passed “throughout the state.” Said Nielsen, “Throughout the state, was there districts or precincts or whatever you want to say that actually support Prop 1,…
The House Education Committee has voted 12-3 along party lines to introduce legislation reinstating two more provisions from the voter-rejected Proposition 1: Requiring that teacher contract negotiations be conducted in public, and allowing school districts to unilaterally impose contract terms if an agreement isn’t reached…
Non-resident deer and elk tags from Idaho Fish & Game used to sell out, but they don’t now, F&G Director Virgil Moore told legislative budget writers this morning. “We had a quota, so they would sell out early each year and we had that revenue…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
