Yesterday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing stretched for more than four hours, from 1:30 in the afternoon until well after 5. When it was done, the panel had approved bipartisan legislation to limit civil asset forfeiture in Idaho, and to charge heroin pushers with murder if…
House-passed legislation to license sign-language interpreters in Idaho has cleared a Senate committee and headed to the full Senate. HB 46 passed the Senate Commerce Committee this afternoon with just two “no” votes, from Sens. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, and Todd Lakey, R-Nampa. Rep. Kelley…
With just one “no” vote, the House Transportation Committee has approved HB 204, to allow “personal delivery robots” to travel on Idaho sidewalks like motorized wheelchairs and Segways. Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, who cast the only “no” vote, said, “I think I’m the only conservative…
Senate Transportation Chairman Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, eyed a “personal delivery robot” from Starship Techologies Inc. that was being demonstrated in the Capitol rotunda today and joked that he told its sponsors, “As soon as we figure out how to license it, regulate it and tax...
Since an annual tax deduction of up to $4,000 a year for individuals - $8,000 for married couples – was established in 2000 for contributions to Idaho’s IDeal college savings account program, tuition and fees at Idaho’s colleges and universities have gone up 189 percent,...
After more than an hour and a quarter of debate, the Senate has voted 8-26 against SB 1072, legislation regarding dyed fuel. That took up the majority of this morning’s Senate floor session. The bill was sponsored by Senate Transportation Chairman Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson.
The House State Affairs Committee has voted along party lines to send HB 189, Rep. Jason Monks’ bill to prohibit “interference” by government in elections, to the House’s amending order, after two days of hearings brought up numerous problems with the revised proposal...
Legislative budget writers have set a budget for Idaho’s community colleges for next year that’s just $128,700 higher than the governor’s recommendation, thanks to that amount being added for the College of Western Idaho to better reflect its increasing enrollment. “The percentage was a little...
For Idaho’s four-year colleges and universities, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has set a budget that’s very slightly above Gov. Butch Otter’s recommendation, at a 2.7 percent increase in state general funds, where Otter recommended a 2.2 percent increase. In total funds, the budget is nearly...
House Health & Welfare Chairman Fred Wood is pulling his $10 million proposal to provide at least some care for those in Idaho’s health coverage gap, the Lewiston Tribune reports, saying the measure doesn’t have enough votes to move out of committee, much less pass…
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has set a budget for Idaho Public Television for next year that matches Gov. Butch Otter’s recommendation. While it shows a 10.1 percent increase in general funds, it’s just a 3.6 percent increase in total funds, and the only significant increase...
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
