StateImpact Idaho

Bottom Rung: Longtime Idaho Economist Stresses Education And Healthcare To Boost Wages

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:16:36 +0000

Idaho has the largest percentage of minimum wage jobs in the country. That’s been the jumping off point for StateImpact Idaho’s series examining wages; we’re calling it Bottom Rung.

Bottom Rung: The Politics Of Increasing Idaho’s Minimum Wage

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:14:11 +0000

As in many states, Idaho’s minimum wage hasn’t changed since 2009, when the hourly minimum was boosted by the federal government.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found 31,000 hourly Idaho workers earned the minimum wage, $7.25, or less in 2012. That’s a 63 percent increase from 2011.

Bottom Rung: Why One Idaho Border Business Chose Washington

Jessica Robinson — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:33:37 +0000

The border between Washington and Idaho is like a petri dish for what the minimum wage does to the economy. That’s where two extremes meet. Idaho has the federal minimum wage: $7.25 an hour. While Washington’s is nearly $2 more.

Bottom Rung: Why Building A Strong Idaho Economy Takes Public Investment

Molly Messick — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:55:16 +0000

Bob Lokken, CEO of Boise-based WhiteCloud Analytics, is three years into building his new company. It designs software for health care professionals with the aim of allowing doctors and others to interrogate vast amounts of health care data. Lokken founded it after his previous company, ProClarity Corporation, was bought by Microsoft.

Recently, he showed me around the downtown office where software developers work intently behind large computer screens. I wasn’t there to talk about better health outcomes through guided data analysis; I was there to talk about Idaho’s workforce.

Bottom Rung: The Workforce Shift That’s Costing Idaho Good-Paying Jobs

Molly Messick — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:41:12 +0000

Not long ago, you could hear the buzz of power saws all over the Treasure Valley. It was punctuated by the steady rhythm of hammers and nail guns. More than 10,000 homes went up in Ada and Canyon counties in the two years before the recession hit. Then, the sound stopped.

“’08 and ’09 were really hard,” says Aaron Wright of Steelhead Construction. He founded the siding and remodeling company as Idaho’s housing boom took hold. At the peak, Wright employed more than 30 people. When the market crashed, he scaled back to three.

Bottom Rung: Gov. Otter Touts Idaho’s Low Wages To Attract Gun Companies

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:03:03 +0000

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter is using Idaho’s low wages as a selling point. In a letter sent to out-of-state gun manufacturers last month to encourage them to relocate to Idaho, Otter touts the comparatively low cost of labor here.

Bottom Rung: Why An Influx Of Retirees To Idaho Is Creating More Low-Wage Jobs

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:56:25 +0000

There’s a brand new pizza joint in southeast Boise. It’s nestled in a mini-strip mall with a gas station, dry cleaner and hair salon.

On a recent Friday evening, Franco’s Pizzeria was just starting to pick up. It’s a tiny place. The cash register is only a few steps away from the industrial pizza ovens. There are a handful of tables and stools inside for someone who just wants a quick slice.

Bottom Rung: Two Idaho Workers Talk About Life On Low Wages

Molly Messick — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:39:42 +0000

Wages are lower in Idaho than in nearly ever other state. That’s often chalked up to Idaho’s rural nature and low cost of living. But recently, the state has lost ground.

Driver’s License Data Offers Clues About Where Idahoans Are Moving

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:44:09 +0000

Driver’s license data show more people moved to Idaho than left the state in 2012. But that data finds at least 29,253 Idahoans did move to another state last year.

Driver’s License Data Offers Real-Time Clues About Who Is Moving To Idaho

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:27:40 +0000

Idaho is no stranger to population growth. The number of people in the Gem State has steadily grown from about 710,000 people in 1972 to 1.59 million in 2012. That’s a 124 percent increase.

Idaho Legislature Approves $20.7 Million In Tax Cuts

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:00:45 +0000

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.

Mental Health, Preventive Care, And The Debate Over Medicaid Expansion In Idaho

Molly Messick — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:41:24 +0000

When the 2013 legislative session wraps up, a big policy question will remain: Will the state make Medicaid available to a greater number of Idaho’s poor? The federal health care law encourages that move. It’s a debate that involves potential costs and savings, along with patient well-being. And it turns quickly to chronic conditions, like mental illness.

Idaho’s Income Gap Continues To Grow

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:55:24 +0000

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.

State-Based Health Insurance Exchange Bill Passes The Idaho Legislature, Heads To Governor

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:44:07 +0000

Idaho lawmakers fundamentally opposed to the federal health care law made a final effort to convince their colleagues to reject a state-based health insurance exchange, but to no avail. The bill which will create a state-based online insurance marketplace passed the Senate 23-12, sending the measure to Gov. C.L.

Girl Scout Cookie Tax Break Passes Idaho House, Could Face Uphill Battle In The Senate

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:40:41 +0000

A sales tax exemption for Girl Scout cookies sold in Idaho will advance to the upper chamber after lawmakers in the House approved the measure 59-11.

Idaho and Hawaii are the only two states that tax the sale of Girl Scout cookies. In Idaho, 22 cents from every box sold goes to the state. That amounts to about $140,000 in revenue each year.

Health Insurance Exchange Bill Passes Idaho House

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:48:22 +0000

After seven hours of debate, Idaho House lawmakers voted 41-29 to pass a bill that would give Idaho control over building and maintaining an online insurance marketplace.

Republican Lawmaker Wants To Expand Medicaid In Idaho

Samantha Wright and Associated Press — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:32:00 +0000

A Republican lawmaker says he will bring forward a bill to expand Idaho's Medicaid program this week. That's after Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said lawmakers should wait on the issue.

Rep. Tom Loertscher (R-Bone) plans to introduce two bills on Thursday.

One would dissolve Idaho's Catastrophic Health Care Program. That's the program that helps medically indigent Idahoans who don't qualify for state or federal health care aid.

Idaho’s Latest Health Exchange Bill Prevents Gun Data Collection, Adds Legislative Oversight

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:56:31 +0000

Public comment on the Idaho Legislature’s new health insurance exchange bill starts bright and early Thursday morning. With signup starting at 6:30 a.m., interested citizens will have the chance give the House Health and Welfare Committee their opinion on the revamped bill that would create a state-based health insurance exchange.

What Idaho Lawmakers Know – And Don’t – When Making Tough Tax Policy Decisions

Molly Messick — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:37:37 +0000

A left-leaning tax policy group recently put out a short little report about the state corporate income taxes paid by IDACorp. That’s the holding company of Idaho’s largest electric utility, Idaho Power.

The report claims IDACorp paid no state income taxes nationwide from 2007 through 2011.

Mapping Wealth: Idaho’s Pockets Of High-Income Households

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:07:15 +0000

Over the last couple of years we’ve heard a lot about the haves and have-nots. The 1 percent and the 99 percent — that is, the top earners in the United States (the so-called 1 percent) and the rest of us (the 99 percent).