Boise businessman Tommy Ahlquist outraised his Republican gubernatorial rivals last year, reporting more than $1.7 million in fundraising, but opponent Lt. Gov. Brad Little closed out 2017 with a bigger bank balance of nearly $638,000. End-of-year financial disclosure reports were filed Wednesday with the Idaho Secretary of State's office. The...
Two of the three leading GOP candidates for governor issued statements today lauding the signing of HB 335, the unemployment insurance tax cut bill for Idaho employers; here are the full statements from Lt. Gov. Brad Little and Boise physician and developer Tommy Ahlquist: LITTLE:…
Idaho House Majority Leader Mike Moyle wants to write the state’s current roadkill salvage rules into state law, and add an additional provision: That motorists can shoot a badly injured animal they’ve struck, to put it out of its misery. Right now, Moyle said, “The…
Officials with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes say they will not renew a contract with their lobbying firm after the firm filed a ballot initiative to legalize lucrative betting machines known as instant racing. The tribes and others across the state have previously come out against the betting terminals, saying they do not use pari-mutuel wagering...
Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney is asking for a budget increase next year of more than 70 percent, with most of the increase coming in a major upgrade to the state’s election software system to allow more transparent reporting of campaign finances, lobbyist records...
The Medicaid budget came under scrutiny in the Joint Finance-Appropriat ions Committee today, as part of a series of budget hearings this week on the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare. For next year, Gov. Butch Otter is recommending a 13 percent increase in state…
Gov. Butch Otter has signed the first bill of the session into law – HB 335, the unemployment insurance tax cut for Idaho employers. “This is about a year overdue,” Otter said. “I’ve got to thank the legislative leadership for their leadership and for their...
Idaho House Democrats are calling for investing in education and infrastructure, rather than the $202 million tax-cut proposal that GOP leaders and Gov. Butch Otter introduced yesterday. “This tax cut is at best rushed, at worst, reckless,” said House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding,...
A second leading Republican candidate for governor now says he would pursue term limits, some form of financial disclosure requirements and other reforms targeting Idaho politicians. The proposals by U.S. Rep. Raúl Labrador come on the heels of the Republican-dominated Legislature showing signs it will continue to resist such reforms. The House...
A new proposal to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients in Idaho – most of whom are children or disabled – is raising concerns among health advocacy groups that had been supportive of the Idaho Health Care Plan, Idaho’s dual-waiver proposal. The work clause, added...
Idaho EdNews surveyed the leading Republican and Democratic candidates for governor about Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal for a higher education CEO, and found none who were sold on the plan. EdNews reporter Kevin Richert writes that Republicans Tommy Ahlquist and Raul Labrador oppose the plan,…
Rep. Paul Shepherd, R-Riggins, today re-introduced his unsuccessful bill from last year attempting to set up a process through which Idaho lawmakers could nullify federal laws or rules or U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Without comment, the House State Affairs Committee voted to introduce Shepherd’s bill;…
Staff from the Office of Performance Evaluations uncovered major human resources problems in a state agency charged with nursing home oversight. Their report also documents the state’s challenges with finding facilities that accept individuals with complex conditions, even as Idaho’s elderly population grows rapidly...
The Idaho Water Resource Board has voted to spend $2.4 million on upgrades to Priest Lake recommended by a recent study, bringing the project within $150,000 of the full $5 million in funding it’ll need next year. Gov. Butch Otter is recommending $2.4 million in...
Gov. Butch Otter’s tax-cut bill was introduced in the House Revenue & Taxation Committee this morning on a party-line vote, with the panel’s two Democrats dissenting. The nine-page bill would conform Idaho’s income tax code to federal changes, including the doubling of the standard deduction…
The House Health & Welfare Committee introduced a new version of the Idaho Health Care Plan dual-waiver bill this morning, and this time, it only drew one “no” vote, from Rep. Karey Hanks, R-St. Anthony. When the first version of the bill was introduced, Reps....
During the budget hearing this morning for the Idaho Public Defense Commission, Executive Director Kimberly Simmons told lawmakers that 43 of Idaho’s 44 counties applied for and received grants to boost their public defense efforts; training has been provided; standards have been promulgated, more are…
It’s another busy day at the Capitol today – and it’s also “Buy Idaho” day, when vendors fill three levels of the Capitol rotunda with booths, displays, product demonstrations, giveaways and more. Amid all that, there are budget hearings in JFAC this morning on the…
Idaho's House Democrats have released some of their personal financial information after a legislative committee recently refused to consider legislation requiring elected officials disclose their financial assets. Ten of the 11 House Democrats on Monday voluntarily publicized information about their employer, occupation and sources...
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Lt. Gov. Brad Little have hit the road to promote their executive order asking Idaho insurers to offer cheaper plans that don’t comply with all requirements of the Affordable Care Act, making stops Monday in Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene. The…
Idaho is the only state that provides no legal protections for breastfeeding mothers, either in public or private, Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d’Alene, told the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon, as he presented legislation to exempt breastfeeding mothers from Idaho’s indecent exposure law. The committee...
An Idaho Senate panel has introduced legislation requiring the state to provide information to women that medication-induced abortions can be halted after taking just one of two pills. If approved, women would be given a list of providers who can offer consultations about medical abortion interventions...
Gov. Butch Otter has named Twin Falls attorney Ben Cluff to the 5th District judgeship that was left vacant by Judge Richard Bevan’s appointment to the Idaho Supreme Court. An attorney in private practice in Twin Falls, Cluff holds a law degree from the University...
Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, brought new legislation to the House Revenue & Taxation Committee this morning to amend last year’s bill on short-term vacation rentals, which sought to forbid Idaho communities from banning them, while also setting up a taxing mechanism. Nate said, “The new…
Friday was the deadline to file personal bills in the Idaho House, and more than a dozen were submitted, with all but three of them sponsored by outspoken Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard. All personal bills in the House are referred to the House Ways &...
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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