News
Agriculture secretary pressed about pandemic relief funds for farmers
WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack faced questions on how his agency is doling out emergency pandemic aid and fostering collaboration with historically Black colleges during a Thursday hearing before the House Agriculture Committee. Committee Chairman David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, asked Vilsack for “critical updates on the implementation of pandemic relief programs, including the […]
Idaho House passes $600 million income tax cut and tax rebate bill
The Idaho House of Representatives voted nearly along party lines to pass the largest tax cut in state history on Thursday, a $600 million package to reduce income and corporate tax rates and provide income tax rebates. The House voted 57-13 to pass House Bill 436. It was the first bill of the year House […]
Candidates for Idaho secretary of state at odds over grant funding in 2020 election
As the primary election for statewide candidates approaches in May, one Republican legislator who is running for Idaho secretary of state has made allegations that Facebook tried to influence Idaho elections a centerpiece of her campaign. But county clerks across the state want to make it clear that was not what happened in the 2020 […]
U.S. Senate blocks change in the filibuster for voting rights bills
WASHINGTON — Every Republican in the U.S. Senate and two Democrats on Wednesday night rejected a proposed change in the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation, dealing a major blow to attempts in Congress to counter restrictive voting laws passed in the states. In a 48-52 vote, two Democrats — Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona […]
Federal pipeline standards backed by top energy regulator after Colonial Pipeline hack
New federal powers are needed to prevent major energy disruptions like the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline that left the East Coast short of gas at the pumps for days, the chairman of the federal commission overseeing energy and some U.S. House Democrats said Wednesday. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee discussed a proposal by […]
Profane exchange between Republicans follows rejection of parental rights bill
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on January 19, 2022 Senate Republican leadership met Wednesday morning to discuss a pair of profane Statehouse exchanges Tuesday afternoon, involving GOP state superintendent’s candidate Branden Durst and GOP state Sen. Jim Woodward. The exchange came moments after the Senate Education Committee rejected a parental rights bill proposed by Durst and […]
Idaho legislators grill McGeachin over supplemental budget request for legal fees
Legislative budget writers from both major political parties grilled Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin on Wednesday over her supplemental budget request to cover her outside legal fees from a court case she lost after failing to release public records. The showdown occurred near the end of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee’s slate of budget hearings on […]
Forest Service in ‘paradigm shift’ to use logging, controlled burns to prevent wildfires
The Biden administration will use $3 billion from last year’s infrastructure law to revamp the federal approach to wildfire management, introducing a 10-year plan to deal with the large swaths of the West scientists consider most at risk of destructive blazes. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, announced the new strategy in Phoenix, […]
$600 million income tax proposal heads to the Idaho House floor
The Idaho Legislature’s House Revenue and Taxation Committee advanced the largest tax cut in Idaho history on Tuesday, moving a $600 million proposal to provide tax rebates and reduce income rates to the House floor. If signed into law, House Bill 436 would provide $350 million in income tax rebates to Idaho income taxpayers this […]
‘There’s got to be a better solution’: Idaho’s county clerks lament 2021 property tax bill
Calculating levy rates for property taxes each year has never been an easy job for county clerk offices across Idaho. It’s a complex budgeting process that takes many different factors into account and requires weeks of collaboration with taxing districts across one county. But this year, after the implementation of House Bill 389, some clerks […]
Looking for work? Seminars, networking and applications available at Idaho Job and Career Fair
Idahoans seeking a new job are encouraged to attend the free Idaho Job and Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Nampa Civic Center, 211 Third St. S., according to an IBL Events press release. Two free seminars will also be offered at the hiring event. At 10:30 a.m., job […]
Rep. McCrostie introduces bill to ‘add the words’ to Idaho Civil Rights Act
A Democratic legislator from Boise introduced a bill Monday morning that is designed to amend Idaho’s Civil Rights Act to “add the words” that would prohibit discimination against a person based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Rep. John McCrostie, D-Garden City, introduced House Bill 440 as a personal bill during Monday’s floor session of […]