Pre-K, Craig & Liquor

Gov. Otter is back in the office meeting with Legislative leaders in person and holding a bill signing today at noon. To make dog fights a felony.

Hearings coming this week on pre-schooling, maybe a vote on midwife licensing in the House and a raft of special interest liquor bills are coming down the pike.

The national and international reactions to wolf delisting are coming in and one thing is clear: lots of people are keenly watching Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to see how the states handle their wolf business… in today’s Newsrack

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Study: 2/3 of Idahoans would vote for a candidate that supports preschool. Hearings Wednesday on opening up public early childhood education programs. Finding quality childcare is the toughest thing low income parents face. Allen in the Statesman.

Ed Board may have breached open meeting law by discussing cancelation of statewide test. Attorney General ruling has few teeth in it. Recommends training. Board spokesman: “There’s always room for improvement.” Shifrin, AP in the Statesman. Finding [pdf]. Summary of findings.

Affording to be a law maker. Idaho legislators need to be able to afford to get away from their day jobs for three months. Per diem blank checks: “What they call per diem, it’s almost just like salaries because they don’t have to put in any receipts,” said Jasper LiCalzi, a College of Idaho professor of political economy. “Some say, ‘We want to run government like a business’ but no business runs a business without receipts… The other side of that is how many people do you want to be looking at receipts?” Power lunches too. Hopkins in the Times-News.

Liquor bills seek carve outs now. Governor is working on overhaul of liquor laws, but business can’t wait. Tamarack needs more bars, wineries want to sell more good stuff and the Big Easy wants to sell liquor during all-ages shows. Druzin in the Statesman.

Local labor rule likely to be repealed. Just for Capitol project. Bill to exempt it from Idaho First law clears Senate committee on party-line vote, heads to full Senate. Druzin in the Statesman.

Legislature considering digital repository for state documents. Kempthorne Admin Web site was gone the day he left. Can’t access his old press releases. Bill would help preserve official documents. Russell in the Spokesman.

Wardens will patrol sheep. Magic Valley IDFG supervisor says Conservation Officers will haze, kill bighorns that wander into domestic sheep territory: “We’re going to look at the geography down there and draw some lines that make sense.” Sven Berg in the South Idaho Press.

Idaho Reports looks at where this session is going.

Idaho Power, wind producers agree on costs. PUC: Power companies can charge wind producers for bringing on their energy. Palmer in the Times-News. Press release here.

Mexican Consulate coming to Boise. 10,000 signatures convinced the Salt Lake office to open doors in Idaho. Sali, Simpson confused. Butts in the Press Tribune.

Kempthorne will review gun laws on federal land. Responds to request from Sen. Mike Crapo to allow guns in National Parks. Recommendations due at end of April. Bolstad in the Statesman.

Airport has spent $17,000 prosecuting Craig. New brief asserts that Sen. Larry Craig did conduct himself disorderly: “Rather than reveling in his own privacy within his closed stall, he decided to penetrate the adjacent closed stall through multiple furtive movements of his eyes, feet and hands… It is this very calling of attention to himself and failing to remain within his closed stall that is the basis for the charges and the appellant’s plea.” Bolstad in the Statesman. Craig cheered in Burley. Craig presented with painting says it’s just on loan until he leaves office: “We’re going to remain ethically correct for the remaining nine months.” Greene, South Idaho Press.

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