Gov. Butch Otter says when he first was elected, he had "three broad priorities," and they haven't changed: "Encourage economic opportunity, ensure responsible government, and empower Idahoans to be the architects of their own destiny." He said circumstances, including the economic downturn, have raised the…
With the state facing a budget surplus for the first time since the recession hit, Gov. Butch Otter says he wants to see "an Idaho focused not on scarcity or what we lack, but on a more prosperous and hopeful future for all of us."…
Gov. Butch Otter is calling for a "Hire One Vet" effort, echoing the name of his tax-incentive bill last year that was dubbed the "Hire One Act." Though he offered no details, he said it'll be a collaboration of the state departments of Labor, Veterans…
The governor is paying tribute to Idaho's military members, including the Idaho National Guard's 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team and the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Company. He noted those who died in 2011: Nathan Beyers and Nicholas Newby of the 116th; and from other military…
Gov. Butch Otter was greeted with a standing ovation as he entered the House chamber, shaking hands with lawmakers as he went. House Speaker Lawerence Denney told Otter, "The House and the Senate have both agreed that this will be a very short session." Responded…
Senators are now seated in the House chamber, and the joint session is under way; still to arrive are dignitaries including the state's top judges, and Gov. Butch Otter, who will be escorted into the chamber shortly to give his sixth State of the State…
Both houses have now convened and taken care of formalities in advance of the governor's State of the State and budget address, which is set to start at 1 p.m. Mountain time.
In Idaho politics, all eyes will be on Gov. Butch Otter on Monday, as he lays out his agenda and budget proposal to lawmakers for this year's election-year session. Big decisions loom; lawmakers and Otter budgeted so conservatively last year that they’re now sitting on…
Tax-protesting Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart has cited his status as a state legislator numerous times in seeking delays in his court fights over paying back state and federal income taxes, pointing to the state constitution’s clause protecting lawmakers from civil actions during sessions. Now…
The Idaho Statesman's Dan Popkey analyzed Gov. Butch Otter's schedule for the past three years, and found that since his landslide re-election, the governor is spending significantly less time in the office - with 27 percent fewer appointments, 33 percent less official travel, and a…
The Idaho Republican Party's first presidential straw poll tonight was won decisively by Ron Paul, with 173 votes of the 359 GOP members attending and paying $30 to cast a ballot at the party fundraiser at the Riverside Hotel in Boise. Mitt Romney came in…
Idaho Power Co. gained more lobbying might from inside government, as another of the governor's former chiefs of staff registered to become a paid lobbyist for the state's biggest utility, reports AP reporter John Miller. Jason Kreizenbeck, who quit as Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's top…
The University of Idaho, the Idaho Wheat Commission and Limagrain Cereal Seeds have announced a new $2 million effort to boost wheat research at the university, including two faculty research endowments. The project will allow restoration of five research-related positions in Moscow, Aberdeen and Lewiston…
Tamarack Resort - which unlike Bogus Basin is open for skiing, thanks in part to snowmaking - is joining Brundage Mountain in offering discounts to out-of-luck Bogus Basin season passholders. The resort has announced it'll charge $25 on Thursdays with a Bogus pass, down from…
A 42-year-old homeless man has been charged with a federal crime of willful injury to government property, after he allegedly spray-painted "FU 1867 I'm not a terrorist" on windows on four different sides of the James A. McClure Federal Building and Courthouse in Boise on…
A coalition of 25 organizations, from the American Lung Association in Idaho to the Idaho Association of Counties, is backing a $1.25 per pack increase in Idaho's cigarette tax, Heidi Low, coalition spokeswoman, told the Legislature's Health Care Task Force today. "We don't yet have…
The Legislature's Health Care Task Force has voted 11-1 to endorse the draft legislation for an Idaho health insurance exchange, and to "send it to a germane committee to let them determine whether it's best for the state or not," in the words of Sen.…
State Insurance Director Bill Deal said the proposed health insurance exchange legislation would set up a "state-operated, market-driven health insurance exchange." Part of what that means has to do with a Dec. 16 bulletin from HHS that said states can decide the "benchmark plan" or…
Idaho State Insurance Director Bill Deal is presenting the draft legislation for a state health insurance exchange to the Legislature's joint Health Care Task Force; the room's about a third full, with lots of lobbyists in attendance. The nine-page bill includes an emergency clause, making…
The Legislature's joint Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee continues meeting this morning; you can watch live online here. So far today, the panel has heard from Micron Technology, which reported that Micron's 2010 sales revenue came 70 percent from Asia, 21 percent from the…
Tonight's "Dialogue" program on Idaho Public Television will look at the upcoming legislative session; I'll be among those joining host Marcia Franklin for the discussion, along with John Miller of the Associated Press, Clark Corbin of the Idaho Falls Post Register and Greg Hahn of…
Click below for a full report from AP reporter John Miller on today's clash over a state health insurance exchange, which promises to be among the hottest issues in the Idaho legislative session that starts Monday. Miller reports that Ideological objections to federal health care…
Idaho's state Board of Education has named Marilyn Whitney its new chief communications and legislative affairs officer, replacing Mark Browning, who left for a position as a vice president at North Idaho College. Whitney was formerly the statewide community outreach coordinator for the Idaho National…
Idaho's Supreme Court justices were very energetic in their questioning of Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane over the discretion of the state's redistricting commission. At one point, Justice Daniel Eismann asked Kane what the maximum number of counties is that could be divided. When Kane…
Brian Kane, deputy attorney general, defending Idaho's new legislative district map, told Idaho's Supreme Court justices, "I think what the court has before it now is a plan that is not constitutionally suspect." Justices questioned him closely about the commission's discretion and when it can…
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