My Page: Sharon Fisher
state politics: idaho
Idaho JFAC Lets Goodies Out of the JarWhen you feel poor, if you’re smart, you go pay the mortgage and the utilities and buy groceries first, and then go see what you might have left to spend on goodies.
Today, after having finished last week setting tight budgets for state agencies, Idaho Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee went for the goodies, some of which had been passed over in the normal budget-setting process out of concern about declining state revenues, as well as wanting to leave room for a grocery tax credit. The committee also made appropriations to bills that had passed after it had already set budgets for those agencies; such appropriations are called “trailer bills.”
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Idaho Politics: Commentary
Astroturf Seen in Two ‘Unrelated’ Treasure Valley ProtestsEditor's note: This column originally ran March 1, but since it didn't seem to make it onto the local radar screen, we thought we'd run it again.
"Astroturf" defines efforts intended to make it appear that there is a groundswell of popular support for something, when the effort actually comes from a small group of people (Astroturf = fake grassroots, get it?)
Two current events in the Treasure Valley that at first seem unrelated -- a "concerned parent" protesting The Joy of Sex an the Joy of Gay Sex at the Nampa Library, and a demonstration demanding the firing of a Planned Parenthood staffer for her supposed racism -- are related, through the same man -- an associate of conservative gadflies Bryan Fischer and Brandi Swindell.
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state politics: idaho
Idaho House Passes Rural Broadband BillThe Idaho House of Representatives passed this morning a bill to create a broadband network-- especially underserved rural areas -- throughout Idaho by directing the Department of Administration to begin the process.
“This kind of legislation could solve a big problem about trying to hire 500 math and science teachers” by increasing the options for interactive courses in rural schools, said Representative Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, chair of the education committee and one of the sponsors of the Idaho Education Network bill. “Some of the more rural areas of the state, those children shouldn’t be denied the opportunities that other children have.”
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state politics: idaho
Idaho Abortion Coercion Bill: What’s the Strategy?Is the Idaho House of Representatives deliberately avoiding voting on an abortion bill in order to get through the session faster?
H464, sponsored by Representative Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, makes it a felony to "coerce" or attempt to coerce, physically or otherwise, a woman into having an abortion. It is not clear how often this happens and how much of a problem this really is, or whether it is another example of the "nibbling to death by ducks" strategy of anti-abortion advocates -- they don't have to make it illegal, just have to make it impossible to get, in this case by waving the threat of a felony charge against people giving women information about abortion.
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state politics: idaho
Idaho JFAC Whips Through ITD BudgetAfter taking two days to slog through the public school budget, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee sizzled through the Idaho Transportation Department budget, getting through the whole thing in 38 minutes.
Perhaps it was just the knowledge that it was the last major budget to be set for the session.
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"leave of absence" acknowledged as permanent for first time
Otter Says Commerce Chief Won’t ReturnIn the first acknowledgment that Idaho Director of Commerce Jim Ellick will not be returning from his personal leave of absence, Gov. Butch Otter told the Idaho Press Club Wednesday that he was starting a new round of interviewing for the position.
Ellick, who was hired in 2007, went on personal leave in January, the day before he was scheduled to give his presentation to the Joint Finance and Appropriations (JFAC) committee of the state legislature.
Otter said that Ellick fit the profile of the sort of person he wanted - aggressive, able to speak the language of high technology, familiar with capital markets - but that Ellick, whose background is in industry, had found himself frustrated with the slow pace of the public sector - frustration that actually affected his health.
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state politics: idaho
TechConnect Chastised for Dearth of Information in Idaho Commerce BudgetIdaho’s TechConnect business catalyst program received half a loaf from the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee today amid complaints from legislators that it was not providing enough information on what it did.
“I’m getting to the point where, if we can’t get detailed, reasonable information, I don’t know whether I’ll be able to support it,” said Senator Elliott Werk, D-Boise. “I think you have a lot of company on that one,” agreed co-chair Representative Maxine Bell, R-Jerome.
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state politics: idaho
Bits and Pieces from the Idaho Legislature
The Idaho Legislature can be pretty funny. Once a week I'll run a collection of bits that don't really fit in anywhere else.
This week: Making the world safe for bad Realtor jokes; Hello, Dad? I’m in jail!; a picky audience; the Senator most likely to be played by Lauren Bacall; and our youthful legislators.
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state politics: idaho
Idaho Legislature Tough on Its Own Budget, TooIn a demonstration that it was just as tough on itself as on any state agency, the Idaho Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted to give the Legislature a fairly bare-bones budget for support staff and equipment, rejecting requests for new employees.
However, the committee did vote to give legislators new laptops. The ones the legislators are currently using are four years old – state agencies are typically on a three-year cycle – and in the new location, House members must use their laptops to record attendance and to vote.
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internet technology
WiMAX Company to Expand Service in Idaho, Mountain WestA company that sees its role as providing broadband Internet to underserved rural communities is offering an innovative service in a third Idaho city, Hailey, and is planning to add it to Idaho Falls and Twin Falls early this year.
DigitalBridgeCommunications Inc., based in Ashburn, Va., uses WiMAX technology to provide Internet connections of up to 3 Mbps. WiMAX uses a base technology that is similar to that used by cell phones, meaning it has a much wider range than the wireless Internet technology typically used – up to three miles. Because of this, WiMAX is said to be well-suited for providing broadband access to rural areas, which are woefully underserved in most of the country.
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