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Your Guide To The 2013 Idaho Legislature

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Background

Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact

Idaho's Senate Chamber sits empty nine months out of the year. Lawmakers typically in session from Jan. until late March or early April.

This page will no longer be updated. For future coverage of Idaho’s legislature go to Boise State Public Radio’s website.

Idaho’s 2013 Legislature convened in Boise on January 7. We’ve put together a guide to the session, including ways to contact your lawmaker, how to get involved, and comprehensive information about the people elected to office.

The Basics

Exploring the Demographics of Idaho’s 2013 Legislature

What Lawmakers Are Saying

Before the start of the 2013 legislative session, we sat down with a few key lawmakers to discuss a handful of issues. We focused on three areas sure to be hot topics; education funding, economic development and taxes, and healthcare.

State of the State Address

Latest Posts

July 18, 2013

Idaho Ends Budget Year With $92.3 Million More Than Expected

Idaho ended its 2013 fiscal year with 6.3 percent more revenue than in 2012. The Division of Financial Management, under the governor’s office, reports tax collections for fiscal year 2013 came in at 3.5 percent above projections. Idaho collected $2.75 billion during the budget year that ended June 30. The Division reports all general fund […]

May 15, 2013

Idaho Lawmakers Could Have More Money To Spend Than Expected

Thanks to higher-than-expected tax collections last month, Idaho lawmakers could have more money in the bank to allocate to things like education, road repair, and health care services. That’s the hypothesis from the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy director Mike Ferguson who analyzed the monthly revenue report and state budget. Ferguson says lawmakers could have […]

May 7, 2013

Idaho Tax Collections Come In Well Above April Forecast

In the largest unexpected increase of the fiscal year, Idaho state tax collections were up 13.2 percent above projections in April. The Division of Financial Management reports tax collections totaled $483.9 million during the largest tax-collecting month of the year. DFM forecast April collections wouldn’t exceed $427.4 million.

April 10, 2013

Gov. Otter Announces Health Insurance Exchange Board Members

Idaho is on its way to building and operating a state-based health insurance exchange. The Legislature signed off on the state-run online insurance marketplace last month. Now, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has selected the 19-member board which will “set the rules and regulations for implementing” the exchange. Here’s the list from the governor’s office:

April 5, 2013

What Idaho’s $2.78 Billion Budget Looks Like

Idaho lawmakers approved a $2.78 billion budget for fiscal year 2014 that begins in July. That’s an $81 million increase, 2.9 percent, over fiscal year 2013. As the chart shows, nearly half of the state’s annual budget goes to fund K-12 public schools. When you include funding for colleges, universities, and “other education“, that’s more […]

April 4, 2013

Idaho Legislature Approves $20.7 Million In Tax Cuts

The Idaho Legislature will go home today having approved nearly $20.7 million in tax cuts. That’s a fraction, less than one percent, of the state’s general fund budget. Far and away the largest share of that cut is the $20 million approved to offset the effect of partially repealing Idaho’s business personal property tax. The […]

Gov. Otter Signs Personal Property Tax Bill, Calls For Full Repeal

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter today signed a bill to partially repeal Idaho’s business personal property tax, calling it “a good and important start toward the goal of eliminating the personal property tax in Idaho.” In his letter to the Legislature the governor urges lawmakers to take the issue up again, and do away with the […]

April 2, 2013

In Two Charts, The Potential Costs And Savings Of Expanded Medicaid Access In Idaho

Lawmakers are still in Boise, where they’re grappling with the education budget past their wished-for departure date. Even with the extra time, it appears the push to expand Medicaid eligibility won’t resume this session. That discussion so far has centered on potential costs and savings with and without expanded access for Idaho’s poor. Counterintuitively, county […]

Mental Health, Preventive Care, And The Debate Over Medicaid Expansion In Idaho

When the 2013 legislative session wraps up, a big policy question will remain: Will the state make Medicaid available to a greater number of Idaho’s poor? The federal health care law encourages that move. It’s a debate that involves potential costs and savings, along with patient well-being. And it turns quickly to chronic conditions, like […]

April 1, 2013

Idaho Legislature To Archive Audio And Video Recordings

The Idaho Legislature will now archive its audio and video recordings of committee meetings and floor debate. Until now, those audio and video sessions were live-streamed by Idaho Public Television and deleted after five days. The new rule will require the director of legislative services or a designee to hang on to the recordings for […]

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