BOISE, ID – Some Idaho lawmakers aren’t comfortable with a bill to evict Occupy Boise. A Committee wants to make changes to the bill. This could mean Occupy Boise won’t have to leave until July 1st.
About two dozen people testified before Idaho’s Senate State Affairs Committee against the bill to evict Occupy Boise. After listening to public comments, Committee members raised concerns of their own. Majority Leader Bart Davis, a Republican from Idaho Falls, admits when he first saw the Occupy Boise tents he was “troubled by it.”
BOISE, ID – Democrats in the Idaho Statehouse unveiled a jobs package today. They call it IJOBS 2.0. Representative Brian Cronin is minority caucus chair. He gave an overview of six bills intended to boost economic development and Idaho jobs. He said, “Many of these initiatives focus on the long term task of breaking out of the low wage trap that Idaho is in.”
BOISE, Id – After a couple of weeks of political theater, the group tasked with re-drawing Idaho’s political lines gathered this morning to start creating yet another map. The Idaho Redistricting Commission’s last legislative map got tossed out by the state Supreme Court for splitting too many counties. Gary Moncrief is a political science professor at Boise State University and he’s been watching this process closely. We begin with hearing Secretary of State Ben Ysursa as he welcomed the Commission this morning…
BOISE, ID – Put aside for a second the debate over immigration reform. Instead, focus on dollars and cents: What would happen to Idaho’s economy with less foreign-born workers? One scenario concludes the impact would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s what some lawmakers in the state legislature heard today
It’s the first study to look at the economic impact of foreign-born workers in Idaho. That’s according to Brent Olmstead. He’s a lobbyist for a group called the Idaho Business Coalition for Immigration.
BOISE, Id – The Idaho House voted today for a bill to evict Occupy Boise from state land. The legislation to outlaw the group’s campsite is on the fast track through the Idaho Legislature. Several Representatives argued against it, including Boise Democrat Phylis King. She said the bill was too harsh.
Boise, ID – Idaho’s schools Superintendent has asked lawmakers to increase the money they send to schools by 4.7%. Tom Luna had asked for more than five percent back in September, but he’s adjusted for a drop in the state’s revenue estimate. One thing Luna is not adjusting is his insistence that lawmakers replace cuts made last year to the chunk of money the state puts aside for teachers’ salaries. That money was taken to pay for Luna’s Students Come First education overhaul. Restoring that money for salaries may hold the key to gaining teacher support for the laws.
Boise, ID – Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna goes before legislative budget writers Thursday morning. He’ll make the case for why public school funding should be increased. Idaho teachers including Carly Hill watch this budgeting process closely. She teaches U.S. history and government at Boise’s Timberline High school. Hill says years of cuts to education have hurt her school and colleagues. She talks about a couple she knows … both teachers who’ve just finished masters degrees.
BOISE, Id – Occupy Boise protesters are a step closer to being evicted off state land. Lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee voted today for a bill that would do just that after three days of testimony. The vote was 13 to 5 to outlaw camping, effectively closing down the Occupy Boise protest. Protesters have had a tent city on the grounds of the old Ada County Courthouse for three months. All four Democrats on the committee voted against the legislation, and one Republican, Janice McGeachin of Idaho Falls.
BOISE, ID – Idaho’s Redistricting Commission meets Thursday to draw a new legislative map. But just who will be on the Commission, is anybody’s guess. The Idaho GOP removed two Commissioners Monday. But those appointees say they can’t be fired and they won’t resign.
BOISE, Id – The House State Affairs Committee heard more testimony today on a bill to evict Occupy Boise from state land. It would outlaw camping at the Occupy Boise site across from the Statehouse. Protesters have pitched tents there for three months now. Almost everyone who testified at today’s hearing was against the legislation. Occupy Boise supporters argued they aren’t camping nor are they criminals. Ann Hausrath, a Boise resident and former city council member, said she was impressed by Occupy Boise.
BOISE, ID – Some Idaho lawmakers want to evict Occupy Boise protestors off state land. Friday, they heard from the public on a bill that would do just that.
Occupy Boise set up tents three months ago on the grounds of the Old Ada County Courthouse. That land is owned by the state of Idaho. Dana Jablonski from Marsing says she camps there on nights and weekends when she can.
Dana Jablonski: “My tent is representing me, my voice, here in Idaho. I feel that that is outside your window because I can’t occupy your office with a lobbyist.”
BOISE, Id – The Idaho Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state’s current redistricting map is unconstitutional. The plan splits up twelve counties, and the Justices said that was too many. Thursday they echoed that decision, when they ruled in favor of a second challenge…this time from North Idaho counties. Now the commission tasked with creating political lines goes back to the drawing board next week to come up with a new plan. Boise State Political Science Professor Gary Moncrief has watched all this all play out. He told Samantha Wright that the first map almost never makes the c
BOISE, ID – The Idaho Supreme Court tossed out the latest plan to redraw political lines. Justices ruled four to one the plan violates the state’s Constitution because it splits counties unnecessarily.
BOISE, ID – Governor Butch Otter planned to travel to three universities today to tout his IGEM Plan. It stands for Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission.
BOISE, Id – More people are signing up for help from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in part to a poor economy. That’s according to the Director, Richard Armstrong.
Richard Armstrong “Our food stamp caseload is at a record high. In November, the actual number of enrollees was $235-thousand. We estimate 6.3 percent growth for the current fiscal year.”
Last year, Health and Welfare averaged nine-thousand applications each month for food assistance. But Armstrong told budget lawmakers today food aid is not the only program hit hard by the economy.
BOISE, Id – Idaho’s Catastrophic Health Care Program needs cash. That’s the word today from the Fund’s Chairman, Roger Christensen. The program pays hospital costs for those who don’t qualify for Medicaid, but can’t pay their bill. Christensen told budget lawmakers that for the current fiscal year, the legislature gave the fund $19-million dollars. But he’ll need another $17-million to keep it going through the end of the fiscal year in June.
BOISE, ID – Democratic lawmakers in the Idaho Statehouse unveiled their plan for an independent ethics commission Thursday.
Representative Phylis King is a Democrat from Boise. She started work in the Fall to draft a plan to create an independent ethics commission.
Rep. Phylis King: “The Commission will review, evaluate, and refer citizen complaints regarding possible breaches of ethics, misuse of funds, or violations of law by state employees and elected state officials.”
BOISE, Id – This week the U-S Supreme Court took on a plan to re-draw political lines in Texas. That case tests the allocation of new congressional seats largely created because of that state’s rising Latino population. Courts in Colorado and Hawaii have already thrown out plans to re-structure political boundaries. Here in Idaho, the Supreme Court heard arguments last week on a challenge from Twin Falls County to the new Redistricting map. Twin Falls County prosecutor Grant Loebs told the Court the plan is unconstitutional because it splits up too many counties.
BOISE, Id – Do Idaho state employees need more money? That was the question before budget lawmakers today. Governor Butch Otter has proposed a one-time, three percent, merit-based bonus in fiscal year 2013. The last time state employees received a raise of any kind was in fiscal year 2009. Theresa Luna directs the Department of Administration. She said back then, state employee compensation lagged behind the private sector.
BOISE, ID – Idaho’s lawmakers are back in Boise for this year’s legislative session. We wanted to find out what people want lawmakers to work on so we sent Scott Ki to talk with people out for lunch near the statehouse.
More than half of the people I talked with had no opinion or didn’t know what state lawmakers were up to just a few blocks away.
“I’m not very informed. . . Ah, I’ve got nothing to say.”
But others, like Boise private school teacher Jess McGinnis, knew exactly what she wants Idaho lawmakers to work on.
