Exploring the policies and politics that help or stand in the way of job creation.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter today named Jani Revier to be his new budget director at the Division of Financial Management. Here’s the press release from the governor’s office: (BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of Jani Revier – a senior member of his staff during three terms in Congress – to […]
Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter is opting for a state-based health insurance exchange. 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 […]
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 clock ticks down this week on a decision Idaho lawmakers have avoided and studied and postponed for much of the last year. On Friday, states must tell the federal Department of Health and Human Services whether they plan to form a state-based health insurance exchange, pursue a partnership with the federal government, or default […]
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. […]
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 […]
The 2013 Idaho Legislature is ready for business. Now that the organizational session has wrapped up, and committee assignments have been made, lawmakers will launch into what’s sure to be a packed session one month from today. Here’s a list of committee assignments for the Senate. One of the panels we watch closely is the […]
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 […]
Idaho’s House of Representatives will start its 2013 legislative session under new leadership. The Republican majority voted out incumbent Speaker Lawerence Denney (R-Midvale) last night. Here’s more about what that means from the Spokesman Review. Idaho House speaker Denney ousted — Three-term Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney, arguably the most powerful member of the Idaho […]
The 2013 Idaho Legislature is in town today for it’s biennial organizational session. This is when lawmakers confirm their leaders and prep for the session which begins next month. Today also happens to be Rep. Frank Henderson’s (R-Post Falls) 90th birthday. Henderson, born in 1922, was a soldier in World War II and a reporter […]
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