Teacher Contracts, Guns & Abortion

With school board members from across the state in town Tuesday, top lawmakers and schools chief Tom Luna declared his controversial teacher merit pay plan dead, citing a lack of buy in. Details of a new plan were sketched out during several private meetings throughout the afternoon.

Committees are having fun with abortion and gun rights. And toll roads. And midwives.

And a Michigan policy on immigrant drivers licenses, similar to one being considered by the Idaho Legislature, is shutting out thousands legitimate workers. Rick Pluta on Michigan Public Radio… in today’s Newsrack.

Greenhouse Gas, Ed Board & Nuke

A bill to divert nonviolent drug offenders into treatment programs will get a hearing, but it’s demise in the Senate is foreshadowed. Tit for tat on the State Board of Education, a state greenhouse gas study gets a hearing, Cuba bill introduced after feisty debate and a proposed nuclear facility in Owyhee County is not paying its bill (it didn’t arrive in the mail).

And overheard in the Annex: Privileged committees, ones with no deadline for filing bills, will soon get to work on the meat of the session. Stay tuned… to the Daily Newsrack…

UPDATE: Cuba bill to get full hearing

BOISE — After a lively debate Monday morning, a bill to urge Congress to open up trade and travel with Cuba will advance to a full hearing. Toward the end of the hearing Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) stepped out of the room to call his Cuban father-in-law.

Cuba, Elk & Death Team

A profusion of bills were heard last week with a bunch on the docket this morning as a Legislative deadline to introduce stuff is upon them. An interesting, if self-serving poll finds majority support for road and transit taxes, including local option tax, which has not been addressed prior to today’s committee deadline (bills can still be brought to a few, elite committees.)

Talk last week on teacher pay turned to compromise measures after Luna met (again) with the Education committees. It looks like the provision to trade merit pay for teacher contracts will not fly. Also a Cuba resolution, a pro forma elk bill and a new child death investigation program in today’s Newsrack… [CHECK BACK AT LUNCH FOR MORE LINKS]

Trail to introduce Cuba memorial

BOISE — Idaho Rep. Tom Trail, a Moscow Republican, is scheduled to introduce a bill Monday morning to encourage Congress to “remove all trade, financial and travel restrictions” in relation to Cuba.

Romney Reax, Revenue & Real Estate

News that Mitt Romney, who had garnered scads of support in Idaho, was dropping out spread quickly through the Statehouse Annex Thursday. Many of the officials who had backed him quickly jumped on the McCain bandwagon.

A December decline in personal income tax collections for the state made the budget committee fidget, or feign fidgeting at least and inspired the governor, still recovering from hip surgery, to issue a lengthy op-ed supporting his employee compensation proposal.

Also, Dennis Lake, chairman of the House Revenue and Tax committee, suffered a minor stroke and had to be wheeled off the floor in the middle of debate. He smiled and waved to “my fans” as he was taken to the elevator. He is reported to be undergoing tests at a Boise hospital. In today’s Newsrack…

PaleoMedia.org had record traffic yesterday both on the site and on the feeds. Please pass along the link if you find this service useful.

Bills you’ve got to see

Nielsen wants a separate porn channel for the internet. State might just ask Congress to do it. Why not ask Al Gore?

Mining, Gingrich & Vasco Press

A bill brought by mining companies would allow them to leave contaminated water behind and circumvents negotiations with DEQ and environmental groups. Student group and the NRA want to be able to carry concealed weapons on campus to shoot shooters (or, perhaps, deter them). And PaleoMedia.org gets a mention over in the Basque Country… in today’s Newsrack.

There is a lot to read these days… if we miss a good Idaho politics story let the people know in the comments section.

Guest Post: Waiting for Barack

College of Idaho student Kim Stiens has never been that good with crowds. Read Stiens’ reflection on the crowd that filled the arena at Boise State University last week to see Barack Obama. First published on PaleoMedia.org… Who’s real and who’s fakin’?

Gora Obama

In Boise Tuesday night, Obama got a nod from the Basque Country. Maybe his first. Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, of Basque descent, led the crowd in a resounding cheer of “Gora Obama!”

You’re not going to hear this anywhere else.