Molly Messick was StateImpact Idaho's broadcast reporter until May 2013. Prior to joining StateImpact and Boise State Public Radio, she was a reporter and host for Wyoming Public Radio. She is a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
The Republican governor’s office distributed that news late this afternoon in a release that criticizes Obamacare, but says the state must assert its “commitment to self-determination” and fulfill its “responsibility to the rule of law.”
The decision is subject to the Idaho Legislature’s approval.
The full text of the governor’s press release is below. For analysis and context, see this piece from StateImpact Idaho.
Sen. Dean Cameron expressed last week that he would like see a proposal for what he called a "reduced benefit" Medicaid package.
The Obama administration told states Monday they cannot partially expand Medicaid eligibility and receive the federal funds the Affordable Care Act provides to cover the expansion.
As the ACA was originally written, people with incomes up to 133 percent of the poverty level would be eligible for Medicaid. The U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling on the constitutionality of Obamacare changed that, granting states the right to choose whether or not to expand Medicaid eligibility. The federal government bears the lion’s share of the cost burden, initially covering 100 percent of the cost of the expansion, phased down to 90 percent by 2020.
As NPR’s Julie Rovner reports, Republican governors wondered whether the ruling allowed them greater flexibility. Could they expand Medicaid eligibility only somewhat, to those with incomes up to 100 percent of the poverty line, for instance? Continue Reading →
Exchanges are the online marketplaces that allow consumers to assess health insurance plans based on costs and benefits. They’re a main component of the Affordable Care Act, and they’re supposed to be up and running by 2014.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appeared to tip his hand about which way the decision will come down during remarks at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference last week. Continue Reading →
Idaho Commerce Director Jeff Sayer chairs the LINE Commission.
Former Gov. Cecil Andrus has sent a letter to Idaho Commerce Director Jeff Sayer opposing any amendment to the 1995 agreement between the State of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Energy that sets benchmarks for nuclear waste cleanup in the state.
Sayer heads the Leadership in Nuclear Energy (LINE) Commission established by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. That commission — which was established “in recognition of the important role nuclear activities play in Idaho’s economic future” — produced a preliminary report last week. StateImpact‘s overview of that report and its context is available here.
“Idaho and her citizens have for decades been trying to remove nuclear waste from above the Snake River Aquifer,” Andrus’ letter reads. Continue Reading →
After a year and a half of searching for a job, Kelly Barker at last got good news.
At this time last year, StateImpact Idaho began a series called “Jobless in Idaho.” Through those interviews we met Kelly Barker, a single mom from Meridian who was struggling to find work after losing her job as an office administrator in early 2011.
The first time we met, at her comfortable, suburban home, Barker described the anxiety and self-doubt that took hold as she and her eight-year-old daughter learned to live within the bounds of unemployment benefits and their food stamp allowance. She described the questions that were keeping her up at night.
“What if my car doesn’t start?” she asked. “What if I get sick and have to go to the doctor? I don’t have that money to do it. I have enough to pay my house payment and to pay my utilities, and to put food on the table.” Continue Reading →
The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry's Alex LaBeau is the face of the effort to eliminate Idaho's personal property tax.
Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and prominent state legislators have lined up behind the idea of eliminating or scaling back Idaho’s personal property tax.  The issue was high on the agenda as local government leaders came together at an Association of Idaho Cities meeting on Friday.
Nearly all property tax dollars collected in Idaho are collected and spent by local governments. The business personal property tax brings in roughly 10 percent of total property tax collections, sending about $140 million to local taxing districts each year.
Given that, it’s a small wonder that elected officials from cities and counties are crying foul at the notion that state lawmakers might do away with the tax. After Friday’s panel discussion, Boise City council member Elaine Clegg said reducing or getting rid of the tax in the name of economic development simply doesn’t make sense. Continue Reading →
A harvesting combine, which is considered personal property, is tax-exempt in Idaho. A restaurant's wine glasses, on the other hand, are taxable personal property.
The personal property tax is shaping up to be one of the key issues of the 2013 legislative session. For years, the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry has lobbied for the tax to be repealed or phased out. Lawmakers and Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appear to have decided that this is the year to get down to brass tacks. Counties and cities are pushing back.
The governor summarized the main questions about getting rid of the personal property tax in an appearance at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference this week. “What is the process that we should use?” he asked. “Should we take a multiple year approach to it? Should we replace the funds, and if so, how? Where is that revenue stream going to come from?”
If those questions leave you baffled, read on. This is your guide to the personal property tax in Idaho. Continue Reading →
Gov. Otter addressed supporters on election night.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said today that he expects a difficult legislative session. He spoke at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho’s annual conference. The session will be a hard one, Otter said, “because of the decisions we have to make.”
The governor discussed what’s ahead for state education policy, given that voters resoundingly rejected the package of laws known as Students Come First. He predicted that elements of the failed laws will come back for consideration in 2013.
Gov. Otter also touched on the health insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion decisions that the state now faces, as well as the issue of personal property taxes. “I understand the plight of the counties,” the governor said, while indicating that he supports efforts to cut or phase out the tax. Some local taxing districts rely heavily on personal property tax revenue.  Continue Reading →
The Idaho National Laboratory provides 30 percent of all wages in Bonneville County, according to a 2010 Boise State University analysis.
The Idaho National Laboratory creates billions of dollars in economic impact for the state of Idaho, along with tens of thousands of jobs. Sustaining and expanding that economic engine may require relaxing some of the requirements and restrictions on spent nuclear fuel shipments and waste disposal included in a 1995 agreement between the state, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
That’s the suggestion that undergirds a report released by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s Leadership in Nuclear Energy (LINE) Commission Monday. The report is preliminary — it’s termed a “progress report” — and it includes recommendations from the commission’s handful of subcommittees. Continue Reading →
Work opportunities for Idaho young people have contracted over the last decade, multiple reports indicate.
An Annie E. Casey Foundation report on youth unemployment released today shows that Idahoans aged 16 to 24 have a slightly higher employment rate than the national average. But that seemingly good news masks significant problems for Idaho young people, with respect to employment.
The report highlights several things: that it’s become harder for young people to find work of any kind, and that without early work experience, it’s more difficult for young people to pursue and build careers later in life. Continue Reading →
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