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Exploring the policies and politics that help or stand in the way of job creation.

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January 10, 2013

Idaho Seeks Flexibility In Medicaid Expansion Plan, But Feds Have Yet To Weigh In

In Monday’s State of the State address, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter made clear to lawmakers and the public that he’s not pushing to expand Medicaid eligibility at this time. Instead, he has asked Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Richard Armstrong to develop an Idaho-specific plan. As StateImpact reported yesterday, Armstrong says the federal […]

Idaho Launches Government Transparency Website

In an effort to become more transparent, the state of Idaho has launched a new website that details state spending and revenue. Transparent.Idaho.gov was created by the state controller’s office, after the state continually received failing grades on its openness. Last year during ‘sunshine week,’ StateImpact Idaho reported on two separate transparency report cards — […]

January 9, 2013

What Gov. Otter Meant When He Said “No” To Expanding Medicaid Eligibility

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said in Monday’s State of the State address that he doesn’t believe Idaho should expand Medicaid eligibility.  “There is broad agreement that the existing Medicaid program is broken,” he said. That wasn’t all the governor had to say on the issue.  He mentioned a new responsibility for Idaho Department of Health […]

January 8, 2013

Visualizing Gov. Otter’s State Of The State Speech

Here’s a different take on Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s State of the State speech. It’s his 8-page speech boiled down into 50 frequently used words. The larger the word, the more often it was used. Now, compare this year’s State of the State word cloud to Gov. Otter’s 2012 speech. Do you see much of […]

Mike Ferguson: The Math Doesn’t Work On Gov. Otter’s Plan To Repeal Business Property Tax

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s State of the State speech yesterday shed light on his agenda for the 2013 legislative session. Otter doesn’t want to commit to expanding Medicaid eligibility for low-income Idahoans, he didn’t set a clear path on education reform.  And he strongly advocated for getting rid of Idaho’s business personal property tax. Idaho […]

January 7, 2013

Gov. Otter Rejects Medicaid Expansion, Supports Personal Property Tax Repeal

Today, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter told lawmakers and the public that he wants to repeal the state’s tax on business personal property, which generates roughly $140 million for local government each year.  He also said he does not support an expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Idaho, at least not at this time.  StateImpact talked through […]

Gov. Otter Advocates For Expanding Idaho’s Medical Education Opportunities

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter says Idaho should expand options for Idahoans who want to attend medical school. During his State of the State speech, Otter pushed for legislation that would expand the number of seats in the WWAMI program. Medical students from Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho are able to attend the University of […]

Gov. Otter’s State Of The State Speech Sets His Agenda For Idaho Legislature

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter released his budget along with his State of the State speech today. Here are some key points. The full speech is posted below. The governor’s budget would increase general fund spending by 3.1 percent in fiscal year 2014. The FY14 budget is $2.78 billion, that’s an $84 million increase over FY13. […]

January 4, 2013

Sen. Cameron: Idaho May Be “Falling Short” When It Comes To Funding Schools

Sen. Dean Cameron is a Republican from Rupert, Idaho. He represents Minidoka and Cassia Counties, and has been in the Legislature for nearly 25 years. He’s the co-chairman of the panel that crafts Idaho’s annual budget, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. StateImpact met with Cameron last month to hear his views on key issues including education […]

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