ITD: Bridge work likely to take priority over road projects
January 27th, 2012
According to the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), as of 2011, the state has 574 bridges more than 50 years old, with a quarter of those exceeding 70 years old. By 2021, the number of bridges exceeding 50 years old will be 1,096—almost double the current number. In a report from the Federal Highway Administration, in [...]
Thayn develops another early graduation program, but this one needs state dollars upfront (video)
January 27th, 2012
Rep. Steven Thayn, R-Emmett, really wants high school kids to get their secondary coursework done quickly so they can go to college early. Thayn, a former teacher himself, proposed Thursday what he calls his “8 in 6 Program,” a process through which he says high school students can graduate early, take college courses and cut [...]
Feds give until October 2013 to create exchange, not January 2013
January 26th, 2012
At a reporter’s breakfast Wednesday, Gov. Butch Otter said that it’s likely Idaho won’t have enough time to create and implement its own state-based health insurance exchange program. “The chances are very good that we are not going to have a state-based exchange,” he said. “Quite frankly, the clock is running.” Otter says that the [...]
Luna: Paying teachers is a higher priority than building up reserve funds (video)
January 26th, 2012
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna is asking for a 4.7 percent hike in the public schools budget, including money to fund enrollment growth, more than $30 million in merit pay and $13 million in tech products for classrooms. If Luna gets his way, the public schools state fund appropriation will be $1.273 billion, a [...]
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House advances bill to close down Occupy Boise encampment
Occupy Boise’s encampment on the lawn of the old Ada County Courthouse could soon be coming to an end. The Idaho House approved a bill Thursday that would evict the group from the lawn and the measure now heads to the Senate for consideration. If approved, the bill contains an emergency provision that would allow [...]
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State budget expert: Priority for Idaho lawmakers is to rebuild rainy day funds (video)
(Note: This is the part 3 of a three-part interview with Bob Williams, president of State Budget Solutions.) Bob Williams, president of the Washington state-based think tank State Budget Solutions, has some tips for Idaho’s budget writers when considering next year’s spending priorities: Save more money, address the pension funding gap, spend based on outcomes [...]
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