Idaho state schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra praised lawmakers and Gov. Butch Otter today for speeding through the stopgap broadband funding for Idaho schools in the wake of the state’s legal and financial debacle over the Idaho Education Network. “I am pleased by the quick actions…
A day after Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, spoke out on the House floor about supporters of a concealed-carry bill harassing lawmakers’ families, the Associated Press reports that the National Association for Gun Rights posted a picture online of Loertscher superimposed over the preamble to the…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho jurors in lengthy trials are one step closer to getting a bigger paycheck. The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee advanced the plan on Wednesday, which would pay jurors $50 per day…
House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, wants to do away with daylight saving time in Idaho. Under legislation he got introduced today in the House Ways & Means Committee, which he’s co-sponsoring with Rep. Jason Monks, R-Meridian, Idaho would no longer “fall back” an hour…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A legislative panel is endorsing a bill to require Idaho sign language interpreters to get a professional license from a state board. Several Idaho residents who are hard of hearing told the House…
Last year, Rep. Ilana Rubel, R-Boise, spoke to an Eastern Idaho mother whose son committed suicide after repeated bullying incidents. Rubel promised she would do more to try to prevent similar things happening to other students, reports Clark Corbin of Idaho EdNews; since then, hundreds…
After a fervent, hour-long debate, the House has voted 37-31 in favor of HB 113, Rep. Janet Trujillo’s parental rights bill. Backers included Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, who told a story about objecting to his teenage daughter’s school health class mentioning masturbation, and being…
Gov. Butch Otter today signed the stopgap funding bill for Idaho school broadband service into law, allocating $3.64 million to the state Department of Education to hand out to school districts for the service, to replace services previously provided by the defunct Idaho Education Network,…
The House Health & Welfare Committee voted unanimously in favor of HB 177 this morning, the new GOP bill to require parental consent for 14- to 17-year-olds to use artificial tanning beds and prohibit their use entirely for those ages 13 and under. That matches...
HB 44, creating a new elk license plate to benefit the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, has passed the Senate on a close 19-15 vote, and now heads go the governor’s desk. Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, asked the sponsor, Sen. Marv Hagedorn, whether the new…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho Senate panel has introduced legislation that would permit people to use oil extracted from cannabis plants, which would amend the state's strict marijuana ban in order to help people with epilepsy.…
Former longtime Associated Press reporter Quane Kenyon Sr. passed away last night; he covered many an Idaho legislative session, and in this 2013 photo, is shown, 14 years after his retirement, filling in as a substitute for Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise. Counting regular sessions, organizational...
Internal divisions within the Idaho Republican Party were on display at a Senate committee hearing this morning, as Republican Party officials spoke both for and against legislation to allow for an early presidential primary in the state, at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $2…
Six companies have responded to a Request for Information from the state Department of Administration regarding an Idaho Education Network replacement contract for the fiscal year that starts July 1, Idaho EdNews reports. Among the responses: As the self-labeled Idaho Education Network “incumbent,” Education Networks...
The Kootenai County Republican County Republican Central Committee last night rejected a resolution to declare Idaho a "Christian state" – a proposed resolution that had drawn national ridicule, including comparisons to ISIS. The S-R’s D.F. Oliveria reports in his “Huckleberries Online” blog that the resolution…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
