In the latest twist in an ongoing lawsuit over whether Idaho's school funding is adequate and constitutional, the ACLU of Idaho has filed a brief asking a judge to find that the state's method of paying for schools is still as unconstitutional as the Idaho…
In this morning’s Senate debate on SB 1108, the bill to require signatures from 6 percent of voters in 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts in order to qualify an initiative or referendum measure for the Idaho ballot, Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis said it…
The Senate Minority Caucus is decrying the Senate's passage today of SB 1108, making it tougher to qualify initiatives and referenda for the Idaho ballot, and calling on Idahoans to contact their lawmakers about the bill. It passed today on a 25-10 vote with bipartisan…
Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, had this question for charter schools lobbyist Ken Burgess about the “authorizer fees” in HB 206 and the increased types of authorizers, including 501c3 non-profit corporations, allowed in HB 221: “So now we are using general fund money…
A federal judge sounded skeptical Monday of former Sen. Larry Craig's claim that he properly used $217,000 in campaign funds for his legal defense after his arrest in a 2007 airport bathroom sex sting, the Associated Press reports. Craig contends that the airport bathroom trip…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The House voted to exclude so-called cloud computing services delivered over the Internet from being charged a sales tax by the state. The 65-2 vote on Monday sends the measure to the Senate.…
Senate Education Committee Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, just announced that although his committee will take testimony on House Bills 206 and 221 today, the charter school facilities funding and governance bills, it won't vote on either today. Goedde said "several of us are meeting"…
Here’s how the Senate voted on SB 1108, the bill to make it tougher to qualify an initiative or referendum measure for the Idaho ballot: Voting yes (25): Sens. Bair, Brackett, Cameron, Davis, Fulcher, Goedde, Guthrie, Hagedorn, Heider, Hill, Johnson, Keough, Lakey, Lodge, Martin, McKenzie,…
SB 1108, legislation to make it tougher to qualify an initiative or referendum measure for the Idaho ballot, has passed the Senate on a 25-10 vote. The bill, pushed by the Idaho Farm Bureau, would require signatures from 6 percent of the voters in each…
Legislation to put the state Attorney General in charge of investigating civil or criminal law violations by county elected officials, including open meeting law violations by boards of county commissioners, has passed the Senate on a unanimous, 34-0 vote and now moves to the House.…
HB 291, Rep. Mark Patterson’s bill to charge Idaho law enforcement officers with misdemeanors if they act to enforce any new federal laws regarding confiscation of firearms or ammunition, has passed the House on a 55-13 vote. “This bill is about protecting police officers,” Patterson…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Senate State Affairs Committee agreed it makes sense to give a liquor license to the Nez Perce tribe for its new convention center on the Clearwater River. Monday's vote, with quiet opposition…
The House Revenue & Taxation Committee has vote unanimously in favor of HB 250, the bill to remove Idaho’s distinction as one of just two states that imposes sales tax on Girl Scout cookie sales. Rep. Robert Anderst, R-Nampa, said, “This is not a good…
Idaho’s Girl Scouts are appealing to the House Revenue & Taxation Committee this morning to remove the state’s 6 percent sales tax from Girl Scout cookies; Idaho is one of just two states that taxes the cookie sale, taking 22 cents from every $3.75 box…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee wrapped up agency budget-setting last week; all told, $2.779 billion was appropriated to state agencies for next year in state general funds, a 2.8 percent increase over this year but below the 3 percent increase Gov. Butch Otter had recommended.The joint…
Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, brought a new version of his bill to grant $10 million a year in tax credits for donations to scholarships for Idaho students to attend private schools, with the idea that that would save the state money because fewer students…
Did Abraham Lincoln really say, "There is both a power and a magic in public opinion. To that let us now appeal," the quote inscribed on a plaque installed outside the newly renamed Abraham Lincoln Auditorium in Idaho's state Capitol? Twin Falls Times-News reporter Melissa…
AP reporter Hannah Furfaro traveled to Mackay to see how a small school district is viewing the fight over education reform and funding changes in Idaho. The result: The local school superintendent says Mackay schools are on the brink of bankruptcy. "In the last four…
Idaho Statesman reporter Dan Popkey writes today about "The education of a House freshman," taking a look at new Rep. Ed Morse, R-Hayden, who ambitiously pressed forward this session with three bills having to do with issues he knows well as a real estate appraiser,…
Idaho's state water plan won strong approval from the House Resources Committee last week and took effect as scheduled, reports Idaho Statesman reporter Rocky Barker. Committee members rejected an attempt by a group of legislators and lobbyists to edit the plan to remove references to…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
