Government + Politics
Idaho legislators pass contentious bill that adds clarification language to abortion ban
Although nearly every person who spoke acknowledged it was inadequate, Idaho’s House Republicans voted nearly unanimously to pass a bill meant to help ease physicians’ fears about being prosecuted under Idaho’s abortion laws while providing care. Just one of the House’s 11 Democrats voted no on the bill as the others walked out of the […]
Idaho Senate rejects Echeverria appointment to charter commission
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 29, 2023. In another rare move, the Senate has rejected Gov. Brad Little’s choice for the Idaho Public Charter School Commission. In a 24-11 vote Wednesday evening, the Senate voted down Karen Echeverria, a longtime executive director of the Idaho School Boards Association. Little had appointed […]
Idaho Senate overrides Gov. Brad Little’s veto of property tax bill
The Idaho Senate voted Wednesday to override Gov. Brad Little’s veto of a property tax bill, joining the Idaho House of Representatives in passing property tax reductions into law despite the governor’s veto. Following a short debate, the Senate voted 28-7 to override the veto of House Bill 292. A day earlier, the Idaho House […]
Planned Parenthood vows legal action against Idaho’s abortion trafficking bill if passed
The leadership of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest says there will “absolutely be a legal battle” over a proposed new law that aims to restrict a minor’s ability to travel for abortion care if it is passed by the Idaho Senate this week. House Bill 242, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, creates a new […]
Bernie Sanders confronts former Starbucks CEO over union-busting allegations
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators at a hearing on Wednesday grilled the former CEO of Starbucks over allegations that the giant coffee company intimidated, harassed and fired workers who tried to form unions. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and former presidential candidate who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, focused on Starbucks’ […]
U.S. Senate clears measure to undo Biden WOTUS rule on wetlands
WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the Biden administration’s intensely contested expansion of what qualifies as wetlands that the federal government can regulate. The Senate approved a resolution, sponsored by West Virginia Republican Shelley Moore Capito, that would revoke the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of Waters […]
As state prepares to remove people from program, Idaho House passes rewritten Medicaid budget
With very little debate, the Idaho House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass the rewritten 2024 fiscal year Medicaid budget. The Medicaid budget was one of the major unresolved pieces of the state budget after the Idaho House killed the original Medicaid budget on March 20 after several Republicans complained about the overall funding total […]
U.S. Senate in bipartisan vote repeals decades-old Iraq war authorizations
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators revoked their approval for the Gulf and Iraq wars on Wednesday, taking a broadly bipartisan vote to repeal the Authorizations for Use of Military Force that have stayed on the books years after the two wars ended. The 66-30 vote sends the measure to the U.S. House, where Speaker Kevin McCarthy […]
State election officials at U.S. Senate hearing discuss threats to workers, call for funding
WASHINGTON — Election officials on Tuesday detailed to the U.S. Senate Rules Committee how their states countered threats to election workers and worked to combat misinformation and disinformation during the 2022 midterm election. With the 2024 presidential election closely approaching, Senate Rules Committee Chair Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she was concerned about threats to election […]
USDA secretary battles with U.S. House Republicans over costs of federal nutrition programs
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans tussled with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Democratic committee members over work requirements in federal nutrition programs as well as spending levels for those programs at a Tuesday hearing. Republican members of the House Agriculture Committee charged Vilsack with evading bipartisan oversight in the USDA’s 2021 redesign of the Thrifty […]
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch: Don’t bail on Ukraine as it fights back against Russian invasion
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t win many friends in Congress when he dismissed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “territorial conflict,” but may well be the toast of the Kremlin and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has not commented about DeSantis specifically. But […]
Idaho lawmakers vote to limit who can access fentanyl overdose treatment through grant
A bill heading to Idaho Gov. Brad Little is necessary to keep Idaho’s psychiatric hospitals and behavioral health centers in operation, authorizing nearly $150 million in spending for Idaho’s behavioral health division. But one sentence written into the legislation could have far-reaching consequences. House Bill 350 passed the House earlier this month on a 40-29 […]