Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter announced Tuesday that Teresa Luna will resign as the director of the Department of Administration at the end of the legislative session. Luna couldn’t be reached for comment. Otter said he will appoint an interim director for the department after the legislature adjourns. “I admire Teresa’s tenacity and commitment to doing…

This week on Idaho Reports, we had a great conversation with Senate Assistant Majority Leader Chuck Winder about infrastructure and long-term planning. Sadly, we didn’t have time in the show to air the whole thing. So here’s the extended discussion, in which Winder talks to us about how the legislature should think long-term while planning…

So far this session, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has signed 42 bills into law.  Compare that to this date last year. By March 12, 2014, he’d signed 72 bills into law. The next day, he signed another 20 into law, bringing the total to 90. That doesn’t include a Feb. 24, 2014 bill that he…

Lawmakers: You might want to consider extending your Boise apartment leases into April. Though House Speaker Scott Bedke has repeatedly said he hopes the 2015 session will wrap up by March 27, there have been whispers and murmurs a lack of consensus on transportation and education will delay that adjournment. The latest indicator: Sen. Dean…

The president of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry has apologized, but will retain his position, after a profanity-laced internal e-mail leaked to members of the Idaho Senate. The January 13 e-mail from Alex LaBeau addressed Sen. Jeff Siddoway’s remarks on not lowering taxes until the Legislature raises starting pay for Idaho teachers to…

Updated 2:40 pm: A few weeks ago, Idaho Reports looked into fiscal notes, and whether there are any repercussions for inaccurate estimates on how a bill might impact the state’s revenue. (The short answer: There are certainly repercussions for the state and taxpayers, but no repercussions for lawmakers and bill sponsors other than dings to their…

I was wondering why Sen. Werk took the gavel in the Senate today. This press release might explain it. GOVERNOR APPOINTS VETERAN DEMOCRATIC SENATOR TO IDAHO STATE TAX COMMISSION VACANCY             (BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of State Senator Elliot Werk to succeed fellow Democrat David Langhorst on the Idaho…

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy notes Idaho is one of 22 states that have gone more than a decade without raising its gas tax.  Idaho, which last raised the tax in 1995, isn’t even in the top ten in length of time since raising the tax. Alaska has gone almost 50 years, and…

Call a horse a horse. That’s what Attorney General Lawrence Wasden had to say about Idaho gaming. During an interview with Idaho Reports on Thursday, Wasden said it might be time to establish a gaming commission in Idaho that has regulatory authority. (Watch an excerpt of the interview here.) In the discussion with Idaho Reports…

Updated 4:21 pm Wednesday, Feb. 11.  The state may not risk losing as much federal funding as former state senator John Goedde first claimed. On Tuesday, Idaho Education News reported that if the state fails to give assessment tests to 95 percent of Idaho students, it could lose $245 million in federal funding. At an IPRAC meeting, Goedde,…

There really is no such thing as a free lunch in Mullan. And that might cause a huge headache for the small community if Idaho Education Network state funding dries up. The Shoshone County district, which serves 104 students, doesn’t have a hot lunch program, making it much more difficult to apply for federal funds…

We’re not in the breaking news business at Idaho Reports. We have the luxury of taking a couple days to analyze most political events that happen around the state. The president’s speech in Boise was no different. We’ll have a thorough run-down on his remarks and his visit on this Friday’s show, but until then,…