Emilie Ritter Saunders was StateImpact Idaho's multimedia reporter until the project merged with the Boise State Public Radio site in July 2013. She previously worked as the Capitol Bureau Chief for Montana Public Radio and was a Senior Fellow with NPR's Economic Training Project from 2009 until 2010. She graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in 2007.
The Idaho Business Review and IdahoReporter.com are reporting that Representative Dennis Lake (R-Blackfoot) is working with a coalition headed by the American Cancer Society to raise Idaho’s tobacco tax next year.
The state currently charges a 57 cent tax on a pack of cigarettes, which is the one of the lowest tax rates in the country. Rep. Lake may sponsor a proposal that would tack on an additional $1.25 to Idaho’s tobacco tax, bringing it up to $1.82.
Rep. Lake is chairman of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, which is where tax bills begin the process. Here’s what the Idaho Business Review is reporting: Continue Reading →
The state legislature’s website lists phone numbers and standard email forms for each legislator. You can to search for your lawmaker by legislative district or by name. If you don’t know either of those, the website provides contact info for your county’s election official, who will be able to give you the right information.
The state website also lists committee assignments for each legislator. Some of the information on the legislature’s website is slightly out of date but it will be updated by the time the session convenes.
Idaho’s 105 legislators are in town for three months each year. It’s known as a citizen legislature, meaning Idaho’s lawmakers aren’t full-time politicians. Most have other careers.
Legislative compensation is established by a citizens’ committee, subject to rejection by the full Legislature. Legislators receive $16,116 per year, plus expenses for housing and travel during the session, and a constituent service allowance of $2,200. The President Pro Tem and Speaker receive an additional $4,000 per year. – Idaho State Legislature’s website
A Ketchum, Idaho business is one of 36 winners in a nationwide contest sponsored by American Express and Google. The Idaho Department of Commerce announced today Lizzy’s Fresh Coffee is one winner in the My Business Story contest.
Here is Liz Roquet’s winning video:
The Department of Commerce reports Roquet won a $5,000 digital media plan for her coffee shop courtesy of American Express and Google.
“We’re so excited to have been selected as one of the contest winners, and love the efforts behind the Shop Small promotion,” says Liz Roquet, Owner of Lizzy’s Fresh coffee. “Small businesses across the country are a core asset to their local communities. I hope people are inspired by the diverse and unique small businesses featured as the 36 contest winners, and make an effort shop at a small businesses.”
In case you weren’t glued to your computer screen all week, here’s what you missed at StateImpact Idaho. These are the five most commented, clicked and shared stories of the week!
Idaho’s Food Stamp Rolls Nearly Triple in Four Years: Food stamp use in the state used to be cyclical. It waxed and waned according to the availability of seasonal jobs. “Use would go down in the spring and up in the fall,” Shanahan said. Now it only climbs. “There’s not any kind of cycle anymore except up,” he said.
Idaho in Top Ten for Cuts in Mental Health Spending: As advocates for people with mental illness will point out, Idaho hasn’t had a great track record of funding services for the state’s mentally ill. “I think the shocking part is we spend $44 per capita on mental health, and the national average is $122. So we’re about a third of the national average,” said Doug McKnight, president of the Idaho chapter of NAMI. Continue Reading →
Idaho’s legislative budget expert expects the state to end the fiscal year with $77 million in the bank. That’s if current projections hold.
Cathy Holland-Smith manages the Budget and Policy Analysis Division at the Legislative Services Office. She unveiled budget projections to a group of lawmakers and Idaho business leaders at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference this week.
In response to our recent story about Idaho’s growing food stamp rolls, IdahoReporter.com sent this 2010 article about the suspension of the state’s asset test for food stamp eligibility. Like many other states, Idaho lifted the asset test in 2009. Previously, families could not qualify for assistance if they held more than $2,000 in assets, not counting resources like their home and house lot. According to the Department of Health and Welfare, the state’s food stamp rolls had ballooned prior to the decision to lift the asset limit, growing by 36 percent from 2008 to 2009.
Early this year, the Idaho Legislature amended the asset test, raising the limit to $5,000 and ending the temporary suspension. The new limit went into effect in June. Continue Reading →
New data from the Idaho Department of Labor confirms what many people have suspected. The number of people who are underemployed continues to grow. In 2010, 14.2 percent of the workforce was underemployed, compared with 12.7 percent back in 2009. Statistics show most of the underemployed worked part-time or temporary jobs when they wanted and needed full-time work.
The Department reports 97,000 Idahos were considered underemployed in 2010, the official number of people without work hit a record 70,000 that same year. Labor Department spokesman Bob Fick says the underemployment number could be even higher because the recession has forced some workers to take part-time jobs for longer than five months because they can’t find anything better.
This chart breaks up the data by regions. Notice Southwestern Idaho saw a decrease in the official underemployment rate:
The Idaho Department of Commerce has named Gynii Gilliam as its new chief economic development officer. Here’s the press release from the Department:
Gilliam will lead the agency’s economic development team and will be responsible for creating economic growth, across all industry sectors, for the state of Idaho.
“Ms. Gilliam will be an excellent addition to our team,” said Commerce Director Jeffery Sayer. “Her strong leadership, her proactive and partnership-focused approach, and her experience will be a great asset for our team and for our state. We are excited to have her join our effort to accelerate employment growth and business creation for our great state.” Continue Reading →
We’ll be at the Boise Centre tomorrow (8:30-3:15) liveblogging the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho’s 65th annual conference. This year’s theme: “Niching Idaho in Uncertain Economic Times.”
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