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.
Have you noticed more California drivers on Idaho's roads? Ok, maybe that's feeding an unfair stereotype, but data show more Californians surrendered their driver's license for an Idaho card than any other state last year. It's a clue into who is moving to the Gem State. We put that data on a map... Continue reading
Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact
Implementation of the federal health care law, the Affordable Care Act, means thousands of former prisoners will be eligible for medical care. Stateline reports starting early next year, many of the 650,000 inmates released each year will have access to Medicaid. Here’s an excerpt:
A sizeable portion of the nearly 5 million ex-offenders who are on parole or probation at any given time will also be covered. Continue Reading
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 than 60 percent of Idaho’s budget.
Data Source: Legislative Services Office | Chart: Emilie Ritter Saunders
While the overall annual spending will increase 2.9 percent in fiscal year 2014, some agencies will see sharp funding declines. Continue Reading
The Division of Financial Management reports revenue collections for the month of March were 4.4 percent above predictions.
The monthly general fund monitor is a short-term indicator of the tax collections coming into the state, which are used to budget for and fund state programs.
Idaho’s General Fund increased by $138.1 million in March 2013, which is $5.8 million (4.4%) more than the forecasted $132.3 million. Continue Reading
Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact
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 repeal means about 90 percent of Idaho companies won’t pay personal property tax on their business equipment and machinery.
Lawmakers also approved three other measures that will mean $698,900 less in the state’s main bank account. Two of those pieces of legislation, House Bill 2 and House Bill 139, make changes to the state’s tax code. The other exempts food and beverage samples from the sales tax. Continue Reading
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
As StateImpact reported back in October, Southwest Airlines planned to cut its direct Boise to Portland flight this spring.
As KTVB reports today, that flight cut goes into effect by mid-April.
[The Boise Airport] used to be a hub-to-hub carrier, but that is changing and evolving. Continue Reading
Daehyun Park / Flickr Creative Commons
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 two years. Then, they’ll be transferred to the state archivist for safe keeping.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation has been lobbying the Legislature to keep an audio or video archive of its proceedings in the name of government transparency. The organization began archiving the sessions on its website as a way to push lawmakers to act.
Executive director Wayne Hoffman said in a written press release the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 131 is a “monumental positive development for government transparency in our state.” Â Continue Reading
Some Idahoans receiving unemployment insurance payments will see their benefits cut by more than 10 percent.
The Idaho Department of Labor says the federal budget cuts, called “sequestration,” that went into effect at the beginning of this month triggered a 10.7 percent reduction in those unemployment benefits. Unless Congress acts, the benefit payment cuts could be in effect through at least September.
Earlier this month the Idaho Department of Labor notified over 6,000 extended benefit claimants their benefit payments and remaining extension balance will both be reduced by 10.7 percent. Continue Reading
Idaho’s per capita personal income increased by $868 in 2012. That’s a 3.3 percent increase over 2011, and it boosts annual earnings above their 2008 peak. But the change wasn’t enough to narrow the gap between the net incomes of Idahoans and Americans at large.
The annual personal income data released today from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show Idahoans earn on average 79 percent of the national average. That maintains Idaho’s rank of 49, with only Mississippi further behind. The states had per capita personal income of $33,749 and $33,073, respectively.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis | Download the Data Continue Reading
On Wednesday, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis will release personal income data for 2012. In anticipation of that release, StateImpact Idaho pulled together personal income data going back to 1990 and compared it with the U.S. average. The data show a widening gap between Idaho and the country as a whole.
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis | Download the Data
Per capita personal income is total personal income divided by total midyear population. – BEA
As recently as 2006, Idaho’s personal income was 83.4 percent of the U.S. average. Last year, it was just 79.1 percent of the national average. While the trend lines look similar for Idaho and the nation, you’ll notice personal income in Idaho hasn’t recovered the ground it lost during the recession. Continue Reading
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