News & Headlines
Idaho is Prepared for the Coronavirus
We’re in the homestretch of the 2020 session. Friday morning marks the final day of official budget setting on JFAC. The afternoon committees will also start wrapping up business for the year. One issue has cropped up in recent weeks that I don’t believe any of us saw coming when we started the session. The coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, …
Continue readingBudget Freezes Don’t Guarantee Tax Cuts
No one likes property taxes. I don’t like them. I’m betting you don’t like them, too. They’re an imperfect way to pay for services a community needs, like roads, schools, and snow removal. The fact that they’re unpopular is exactly why the Idaho House moved yesterday to implement a one-year budget freeze on all taxing districts except for schools. It …
Continue readingBudget Decisions Don’t Happen in a Vacuum
The first two weeks of the 2020 session have flown by. From Day 1, we’ve been busy, and few places have been busier than the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC). I love serving on JFAC. We listen carefully to Governor Little’s recommendations and the different agencies’ requests. We then ask questions and assess each submission carefully to measure needs and wants to …
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