Contact us: [email protected]

This week, McKay Cunningham from the College of Idaho discusses an Idaho Senate resolution calling for a convention of the states to amend the U.S. Constitution. Then, Kevin Richert from Idaho Education News, Dr. Stephanie Witt from Boise State University, and former attorney general Jim Jones join the show to remember our late friend and colleague Dr. Jim Weatherby.

Idaho Reports airs Friday at 8 pm on Idaho Public Television.

This week at the statehouse:

Senate Bill 1289 aimed to address both the House’s concerns about book content and the Senate’s concerns about the process for challenging a book's placement. The death of the so-called combination library bill between the two chambers leaves yet another loose end for lawmakers to consider addressing before they adjourn the legislative session.

The bill was introduced after Boise Police Department served a search warrant at the Idaho Harm Reduction Project’s offices. According to the Idaho Press, police said it was part of an ongoing investigation, but details have not yet been released.

HB 520 would prohibit the use of public funds for gender affirming care, covering surgeries and other hormone therapies. The bill would prohibit coverage for Medicaid patients, as well as making gender affirming care expenses tax-deductible. It would also impact all people covered by the state health insurance plan, including family of state employees.

House Speaker Mike Moyle has counted more than a few votes in his 26 years in the statehouse, and fully expects an Idaho Launch budget to come out of the Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee on Friday. The funding has to stand on its own, because the program did not find its way into the “maintenance” budgets JFAC kicked out in January.

In case you missed it:

Lawmakers heard a wide range of worries Tuesday about a far-reaching school facilities bill, but the amount of funding offered up for local school buildings seems to have brought education stakeholders on board. The legislation would send approximately $1 billion to Idaho communities for local school buildings.

The generous support of viewers like you makes it possible for us at Idaho Public Television to tell Idaho’s stories.

Idaho Reports on Idaho Public Television is made possible through the generous support of the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.