House and Senate leaders are speaking now at this morning’s AP Legislative Preview. Said new House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, “Every other person, nearly, in the House of Representatives is new. And there’s a lot of new chairmen. There’s been a lot of shuffling around.…
Gov. Butch Otter, asked about the question of nuclear waste in Idaho, declared, “We are not going to become the dumping ground for nuclear waste.” He said, “I have no disagreement with Gov. Batt’s 1995 agreement. I thought it was great when he got the…
Asked about Idaho’s vacant governor’s mansion – which is costing the state nearly $180,000 a year in upkeep - Gov. Butch Otter said it’s not up to him what the state does with the home of his late former father-in-law. “What you could do with…
Here’s what Gov. Butch Otter had to say this morning on the issue of a state-run health insurance exchange: “Let me just say from the outset on that, I see nothing wrong, or nothing liberal, or maybe even nothing conservative, about preserving all of our…
Gov. Butch Otter praised state legislative leaders for setting up extensive ethics training for lawmakers next week. “I think sometimes we cross an ethical barrier because we simply don’t know the rules,” he said, “so I see great advantage for leadership to step up.”
Gov. Butch Otter told reporters this morning that education reform must be arrived at collaboratively and with consensus, saying the process that led to the voter-rejected “Students Come First” laws, which he championed, was badly flawed. “It’s pretty hard to establish consensus if you’re only…
Gov. Butch Otter is here at the Statehouse to speak to the press this morning at the annual AP legislative preview – though it’s First Lady Lori Otter’s birthday. There’s an overflow crowd. “I will tell you that the state of the state is in…
This morning’s AP legislative preview will be streamed live online by Idaho Public Television; you can watch live here. It starts with Gov. Butch Otter at 9 a.m., legislative leaders from both parties speaking at 10, and a panel discussion at 11 on the possible…
It isn’t usually a part of how I gear up for a legislative session, but this morning I underwent a root canal. On the good side: It should be all downhill from here. Tomorrow morning, the governor and legislative leaders will speak to reporters as…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter was notified today that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has “conditionally approved” Idaho’s plan to operate a state-based health care exchange. “We got a phone call from HHS informing us of that decision,” said Jon Hanian, Otter’s press…
Bob Maynard, chief investment officer for the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, told lawmakers this morning the coming year’s economy is widely expected to be similar to this past year: “Subdued and stumbling growth, good equity markets, flat bond markets.” He said, “2012 was…
Idaho Public TV’s new live streaming site is up for the 2013 legislative session, which kicks off Monday. The old links still work through a redirect, but the new address is www.idahoptv.org/insession. Upgrades mean that the service will now stream easily to Macs, PCs, iOS…
More than 6,300 unemployed Idahoans won’t lose their federal extended unemployment benefits this week after all, the Idaho Department of Labor says, under the newly passed legislation to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. Instead, those on extended benefits will continue to receive them, though possibly…
Idaho ranks 2ndin the nation for its volunteer rates, according to a new study from the Corporation for National and Community Service, behind only Utah, which ranked 1stamong the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our neighboring states mostly ranked relatively high as well,…
Three-fourths of Idaho’s congressional delegation has voted in favor of the last-minute compromise bill to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff,” with just 1st District Rep. Raul Labrador voting no. Labrador said, “This was a difficult vote, but as far as I am concerned the Biden-McConnell…
Even though I know it'll be there, there's something startling about coming up out of a frigid, foggy inversion, with snowflakes floating around in the low, gray sky in Boise, into brilliant sunshine above it all up at Bogus Basin. It was like an island…
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