The bill reduces overall state funding by $192.7 million in the current year, including cutting $131.3 million from the general fund portion of the state budget. It now heads to the governor for final consideration. #idleg #idpol
@idahocapitalsun.com
Accountability reporting for the 208’s political landscape. We aim to tell untold stories and provide data, context and analysis on the issues that matter most at IdahoCapitalSun.com. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://idahocapitalsun.com/subscribe/.
The bill reduces overall state funding by $192.7 million in the current year, including cutting $131.3 million from the general fund portion of the state budget. It now heads to the governor for final consideration. #idleg #idpol
The Idaho Legislature’s budget committee voted to set the Medicaid budget without acting on the governor’s call for $22 million in cuts on Friday. #idleg #idpol
The program provides up to $8,000 per fiscal year for Idaho National Guard members to use for tuition and fees at an Idaho-based higher education institution. #idleg #idpol
The bill would require that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare provide a copy to each child placed in foster care that spells out some of their rights, including the right to “freedom from physical, sexual, emotional, or other abuse.” #idleg #idpol
The Idaho House widely passed a bill that would fine local and state governments for flying flags that aren’t on the Legislature’s pre-approved list. #idleg #idpol
A bill that would more narrowly define “neglect” in Idaho’s child protection laws failed to advance amid concern it would make it harder to remove children in potentially dangerous situations. #idleg #idpol
The Idaho House on Thursday widely passed a bill that would fine local and state governments for flying flags that aren’t on the Legislature’s pre-approved list. #idleg #idpol
Idaho Rep. Jeff Ehlers, R-Meridian, introduced a bill Thursday that would eliminate state funding for the commission by July 1, 2028, and would remove the charitable income tax credit for private donations made to the commission. #idleg #idpol
"Through hard work and constant dedication, we’ve been able to reach an agreement that not only protects our Tribal homelands but ensures water reliability for everyone throughout North Idaho," said the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Tribal Council Chairman Chief Allan. #idpol
Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, will move to a new role as a special envoy for a new “Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere,” Trump said.
COMMENTARY | Unfortunately, Idaho’s top GOP officials have bought into the anti-civil rights and anti-immigrant playbook of segregationists, writes guest columnist Jim Jones. #idleg #idpol
“It’s unfortunate that we are looking at these further reductions to the fire program when the fire threat and fire severity in the state is only getting worse,” Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller said. #idleg #idpol #Idahofire
A bill introduced Wednesday in the Idaho Legislature would prohibit health care providers that accept Medicaid funding to have any “DEI” policies in employment, training or practice requirements. #idleg #idpol
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said on the floor ahead of the vote the vast majority of presidents in American history “have ordered kinetic acts, just like President Trump has done, without going to Congress.”
“This isn’t new,” said Risch, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. #idpol
"During the private discussion, which an Idaho Capital Sun reporter observed, multiple JFAC members discussed specific dollar amounts... which potentially raises questions about JFAC’s transparency and whether public decisions are being made outside of a public meeting." #idleg
Ahead of the 2028 presidential election, the Idaho Legislature is considering at least two competing bills to bring back the presidential primary election. #idleg #idpol
The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline topped $3 Tuesday for the first time this year, and is expected to keep going up.
“This makes citizens across Idaho fearful of volunteering at hundreds of charitable organizations across the state, a state that prides itself on taking care of its neighbors,” Idaho Foodbank CEO Randy Ford testified. #idleg #idpol
All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines. They were killed during a March 1 drone attack on a commercial port in Kuwait, a U.S. ally.
Republicans on the Idaho Legislature’s budget committee on Tuesday rejected funding requests to implement some of the initiatives President Donald Trump signed into law in the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. #idleg #idpol
"Ultimately, my concern is for the privacy rights of Idahoans who have registered to vote, as secured under Idaho law,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane wrote to the Justice Department in a Feb. 26 letter. #idpol
Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia reported increases in TB case counts and rates from 2023 to 2024, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2024, there were 10,347 reported cases nationwide, up 8% from the 9,622 cases reported the year before.
Nearly a quarter of pregnant women aren’t getting prenatal care in the early stages of pregnancy, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Idaho lawmakers may consider reinstating a program that the state’s health agency cut last year that paid parents and spouses to serve as caregivers to family members with disabilities. #idleg #idpol
An Idaho Senate committee narrowly rejected a resolution that would’ve called for a never-before-used method of amending the U.S. Constitution to balance the federal budget. #idleg #idpol
Senate Bill 1331, which is also referred to as the fiscal year 2026 Idaho budget rescission act, reduces overall state funding by $192.7 million – including $131.3 million for the general fund portion of the state budget. It also reduces 110 full time positions across state government. #idleg #idpol
A conservation group has filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s delay in determining critical habitat for wolverines, a threatened species. It says without a habitat designation, the government can’t begin protecting wolverines, which number less than 300 in the lower 48.
Idaho lawmakers may consider reinstating a program that the state’s health agency cut last year that paid parents and spouses to serve as caregivers to family members with disabilities. #idleg #idpol