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Idaho ranks 36th in the nation for the occupational licensing burdens it imposes to work in the state, according to a report from the Institute for Justice (IJ), a non-profit, libertarian public interest law firm based in Arlington, Va. Founded in 1991, its website says its “mission is to provide pro bono legal advice and […]

Rising costs in the health insurance industry moved to the forefront before one committee in the Idaho Legislature during the 2012 session. The discussion was on a proposal to open up the Idaho market to insurance providers from out of state. Rep. Julie Ellsworth, R-Boise, introduced House Bill 587, which would have allowed insurance companies […]

Silence. Deafening and bill-killing silence. That’s what backers of a bill to stop the state Land Board from buying and running businesses were treated to after testimony concluded on their measure to end the practice. After two days of testimony on House Bill 495, senators killed the measure because no motion was made on the […]

The two-week filing period for Idaho politicians has come to an end and now residents know who they’ll see on their primary and general election ballots in coming months. Both Idaho congressional races are crowded, but the race for the 2nd District could be intriguing in the May and November elections this year, a break […]

In Idaho, conservatives may soon have a chance to prove their theory that competition in the health insurance sector will drive down premiums. A bill to permit out-of-state insurance companies to sell insurance in Idaho garnered bipartisan support as it passed the House on a 59-6 vote. Only Democrats, including House Minority Leader John Rusche, […]

The House Resources and Conservation Committee approved a measure Wednesday to prevent the state endowment fund from purchasing and running businesses. The legislation passed on a 15-1 vote. Only committee chair Bert Stevenson, R-Rupert, voted against the bill. The legislation wouldn’t prevent the state from owning properties, but it would stop officials from buying and […]

The issue of wolves in Idaho has become a got topic the last few years in the Gem State, and the 2012 legislative session was no different. Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, pulled his bill back to committee on Tuesday after admitting tearfully that it could put wolves back onto the endangered species list and take them out of […]

It’s not often a sales tax break passes through the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee. In fact, it has been at least four years since one was approved by the committee. Last week Rep. Frank Henderson’s, R-Post Falls, bill did just that. On Tuesday of this week, the bill flew through the full Senate […]

Tents don’t have constitutional rights. It’s funny to listen to the whine of the people who make up the Occupy Boise movement who face eviction from the grounds of the old Ada County Courthouse. Let’s be clear about what the Occupy people are doing and what they’re not doing: They are defending the right of […]

Idaho Chooses Life (ICL), the largest pro-life group in the Gem State, has formally declared its opposition to lawmakers giving the green light to building a state-based health insurance exchange. In a statement released to IdahoReporter.com Tuesday, ICL president David Ripley says the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the law through which exchanges are derived, […]

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 […]

If I decide to go online and buy the DVD collection of a stranger from New Jersey, I’m allowed to do it. No one questions the usefulness and brazen free-market nature of this transaction. Indeed, everyone acknowledges that in buying DVDs from some dude across the country, I’ll probably end up with some awesome movies […]