Gov. Butch Otter signed two controversial bills into law today: The permitless concealed-carry bill, and the bill banning homeowner’s associations from restricting short-term rentals. He expressed concerns about the gun bill, but signed it nonetheless. The gun bill, SB 1389, allows Idahoans age 21 or…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter will hold his traditional end-of-session press conference on Monday at 11 a.m. MT, when he’ll give his take on what lawmakers accomplished this session and answer questions from the press. He decided to hold off and not do it today because…
Tonight’s “Idaho Reports” looks at the 11th and final week of this year’s legislative session, including an overview of the week’s developments; an interview with Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis; an interview with Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett about health care and Add the Words;…
Here's my full story from spokesman.com on today's final chapter in this year's health care fight, which ended with the House killing a bill on a party-line vote and adjourning for the year: BOISE – The Idaho House shot down a health care bill on…
Idaho Democrats held a Capitol press conference this afternoon to give their take on the just-concluded legislative session, and House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, said, “We hope to come back here next year to a body that has more responsive, Democratic legislators.” Told that…
After the House’s straight party-line vote today to reject Senate amendments to the health care – and therefore end this year’s legislative session without doing anything to address the 78,000 Idahoans who fall into a health care coverage gap – House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley,…
The House has adjourned sine die, ending this year’s legislative session at 12:10 p.m. MT.
After passing the urban renewal bill as amended, the House is now preparing to adjourn sine die. Members have honored retiring Rep. Linden Bateman, R-Idaho Falls, who is ill and not here today, with both a poem and presentation of the flag that flew over...
After Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, raised questions about whether House Speaker Scott Bedke had a conflict of interest in the requested $8 million transfer to the Legislative Legal Defense Fund, Bedke left the speaker’s chair, letting Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, take over, and spoke at...
The House is now debating SB 1428, the bill to deposit $8 million into the legislative legal defense fund for a possible settlement with vendors in the Idaho Education Network case. Rep. Phylis King, D-Boise, said, “This is $8 million to go into a slush…
The House has agreed unanimously to leave the remaining bills on its 3rd Reading calendar there and not take them up; there were four, most of them minor and one of which has been replaced by another version. But one was of more import: HB…
The House has voted 55-12 to not concur in the Senate amendments to HB 644, the health coverage bill. Rep. John VanderWoude, R-Meridian, said, “I think we are well aware that the amendments have considerably changed the intention of the bill, the wording of the...
HB 606a, the urban renewal bill, has come up in the House for consideration of concurrence in the Senate amendments. Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa, explained that the Senate first added amendments to the much-amended House-passed. “After considerable discussion with the cities, the cities decided that…
The House voted 57-10 to concur in the Senate amendments to the urban renewal bill, HB 606a, with 10 Democrats dissenting; that clears the way for the bill to be taken up and considered as amended. Now, it's started debate on the amendments to HB...
After an hour, lawmakers are now emerging from their closed-door caucuses and returning to the House chamber...
Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law SB 372, the bill forbidding local governments from regulating or taxing plastic bags or other containers. Otter signed the bill without comment; it’s among a long list of bill-signings delivered to the House this morning. You can see…
House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, told the House, “It’s our intention to have a really quick caucus.” With that, Speaker Scott Bedke said, “The House will be at ease for the various caucuses to caucus.” Both majority Republicans and minority Democrats then filed out…
House Speaker Scott Bedke said of this mornings two-hour-plus GOP leadership meeting, "It wasn't all business. A group of friends discussed some issues up there." The House will convene shortly. But before it gets to the question of concurrence in the Senate amendments to the…
The House gallery is filling up this morning, and GOP leaders, including committee chairs and vice-chairs, have been closeted in the majority caucus room for more two hours; they just came filing out and are heading into the chamber for this morning's session. They're...
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
