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idaho transit

Attendees of the Urban Land Institute’s Infrastructure 2009 Pivot Point event in Boise yesterday heard a story. An Intermountain West city determined it needed commuter rail – a train intended to carry passengers into the city for work -- and needed it now, rather than waiting for the more typical 10 to 20 years.

Then the governor of the state decided to get involved. “Once he blessed it and got the support of the Legislature, funding was granted,” said Mark Warner, vice president and general manager of Motive Power Inc., a Boise-based manufacturer of train engines. The whole process took just two and a half years.

The state was New Mexico, and the city was Albuquerque. Now, the train provides 2,300 passenger trips per day, which is expected to increase.

Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter's office refused to comment. [more]

idaho governor:column

The Idaho Twittersphere was, well, a-twitter this morning with news that @ButchOtter -- a Twitter account set up to parody the governor -- had been shut down and the real Idaho Governor's office, which had been posting under @IdahoGov, had taken control of it.

Boise Tweeters familiar with the situation are tweeting this morning that representatives of the attorney general's office were being sent to people's offices in an attempt to find out who was behind the account, with threats being made about impersonation being a felony. [more]

Idaho Legislature

In what might be a first, Senator Melinda Smyser, R-Parma, took the lead of the Idaho Senate today.

"Madame President," said Senator Kate Kelly, D-Boise, as though asking permission to address the body. "I just wanted to be able to say that." "Thank you," Smyser replied. "I appreciate your getting it right the first time."

Idaho's House of Representatives did a similar action last year, putting Representative Margaret Henbest, D-Boise, in the Speaker's chair on one of the last days to honor her as she was retiring. [more]

Idaho Legislature

The Idaho House of Representatives had said it was going to adjourn sine die today, and by God, it was going to adjourn sine die today, even if it ends up being called back by either the Governor or the Senate, or both.

And in what appeared to be a violation of rule 18 -- "The following questions shall be decided without debate: To adjourn" -- both House Minority Leader Representative John Rusche, D-Lewiston, and House Assistant Majority Leader Representative Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, debated the constitutionality of the sine die adjournment, which capped a marathon session that ran until almost 9 pm. [more]

Column: idaho legislature

Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter's hard-line stance of vetoing appropriations bills until he gets the transportation funding he says the state needs continued today, amid evidence it may be having the opposite of the desired effect, with even legislators who had supported his failed transportation bills now backing off.

Meanwhile, both legislators and Otter's office are saying that they're doing what their constituents want -- and the legislators have a better claim. [more]

idaho legislature

The Idaho Legislature these days is like watching a tennis game. To recap:
Monday: Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter vetoed a series of bills, including eight appropriations bills, because the Legislature had not provided the funding he requested on transportation maintenance.
Monday afternoon: the Senate amended HB96, a bill on ethanol taxation, by adding registration fees and a gas tax of three cents each of the next two years.

Now, on Tuesday morning, the House has decisively rejected, 15-55, the Senate's amendments, meaning that Otter is likely going to be pulling out the veto stamp again. [more]

idaho legislature

Idaho's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, which had thought it was done, had to re-do a lot of work today: not only the eight appropriations bills that Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter vetoed yesterday in an attempt to force the Legislature to raise the gas tax and registration fees to increase revenue for road maintenance, but also SB1222, the bill on reducing personnel costs in state agencies that the Senate had passed and the House rejected last week.

The new version of SB1222, which passed 16-4 on a party-line vote, reduces personnel costs by 5 percent in agencies funded by the general fund, and 3 percent in agencies funded by the federal government, or by dedicated funds, such as licenses. If the economy permits, Otter at his discretion can reduce the hit on the agencies using $7 million of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), commonly referred to as the federal stimulus package.

"There will be layoffs," said JFAC Co-Chair Senator Dean Cameron, R-Rupert. [more]

idaho legislature|column

If I tell a man to do what he does not want to do, I am no longer chief.
-- The Emerald Forest

It's hard to believe that a man who's gotten as far in politics as Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter could have done so without learning to work with people better, but it's difficult to see how he expects to get support for his policies when it appears that his goal this legislative session is to systematically antagonize every legislator. [more]

Internet Technology

The Department of Agriculture's Office of the Inspector General has issued a report finding that the Rural Utilities Service continues to grant loans to areas that already have broadband service and to communities near major cities.

Since 2001, RUS has released approximately $1.35 billion in loans intended to help bring broadband Internet to rural areas. Intermountain West states receiving such loans include $18 million for Arizona, $267 million for Colorado, $24 million for Nevada, $25 million for Oregon, and $66 million for Utah. States such as Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico did not receive such loans. [more]

idaho legislature

Amidst the stress of the extended legislative session, it's important to look for reminders that, underneath it all, the legislators really do like each other.

The Idaho Senate showed this Thursday when they grilled the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, Senator Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint -- and, by extension, Lieutenant Governor Brad Little -- over the appropriations bill for the lieutenant governor's office. [more]

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