House panel agrees to full hearing for Internet sales tax measure
POSTED: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:16 AM PTBY: Simon Shifrin
Tags: Idaho Legislature, Streamlined Sales Tax Project
A House committee voted narrowly to consider a bill that would let Idaho officials participate in talks with two dozen other states about collecting sales taxes on Internet purchases.
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee agreed on a 10-8 vote March 10 to schedule a full hearing for a bill that would allow an Idaho State [...]
Panhandle man gets probation for unemployment insurance fraud
POSTED: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:14 AM PTBY: IBR Staff
Tags: City of Hayden, Department of Labor, Insurance
An Idaho Panhandle construction worker has been placed on five years supervised probation for defrauding the state unemployment insurance program of over $16,000 in benefits.
Fred J. Kudrna III, 35, of Hayden, was ordered to pay back the benefits plus $3,800 in penalties and $450 in court costs, and to perform 30 days of community service, [...]
Exemption for businesses that invest $3M passes Senate panel
POSTED: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 10:42 AM PTBY: Simon Shifrin
Tags: Empire Lumber, Idaho Legislature, tax exemptions
A Senate committee voted unanimously to support a measure that would allow county commissioners anywhere in Idaho to offer property tax exemptions to businesses that invest at least $3 million in new manufacturing facilities.
The Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee approved the measure on March 9.
The bill represents an expansion of a law passed by [...]
Senate panel votes against immigration crackdown
POSTED: Monday, March 8, 2010 at 01:43 PM PTBY: Simon Shifrin
Tags: Employment, Idaho Legislature, immigration
A Senate committee rejected a bill that would penalize employers who don’t use a federal computer database to verify workers’ immigration status and who end up hiring illegal immigrants.
After three hours of debate, mostly tilted against the measure, the Senate State Affairs Committee voted 7-2 on March 8 against the proposal, which would have mandated [...]
Idaho Republicans push anti-feds bills
POSTED: Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:31 AM PTBY: Associated Press
Tags: Congress, gun rights, Health Care, state of Idaho
State Republicans lobbed more legislative spitballs at Washington, D.C., earlier this week, with measures calling to sue the federal government over gun rights and control of federal land and to replace standard American currency with gold and silver.
The bills join several other anti-federal government measures introduced in the Legislature, including a measure to preempt federal [...]
Two construction bills postponed until 2011
POSTED: Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 10:58 AM PTBY: Dani Grigg
Tags: Associated Builders and Contractors, Construction, John Goedde, Kate McCaslin
As Idaho’s legislature plows through proposed legislation, trying to avoid a repeat of the record-length session of 2009, time is becoming scarce for new bills to be introduced.
Two bills falling victim to time constraints were being pushed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, a group that fights for the interests of non-union construction companies.
A few [...]
House committee passes LID bill on second try 
POSTED: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 11:58 AM PTBY: Simon Shifrin
Tags: local improvement districts, State Legislature, taxes
A House committee voted to approve a bill that would restrict the powers of local governments to create special taxing districts to pay for infrastructure several weeks after sponsors withdrew a stricter version of the legislation because of an outcry from cities and counties.
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee agreed on a voice vote March [...]
State seeks civil penalties and return of investor funds
POSTED: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 11:15 AM PTBY: IBR Staff
Tags: Department of Finance, Insurance
The Idaho Department of Finance has filed a civil complaint in Fourth District Court in Boise against Idaho insurance agent Jerry Ward and his business, Med-Life, which operates from various locations in the state, including southwestern and northern Idaho.
The State alleges that beginning in 2006 Ward defrauded investors by offering and selling securities, the proceeds [...]
20 suspended, 2 fired at Idaho roads agency
POSTED: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 07:01 AM PTBY: Associated Press
Tags: Employment, Idaho Transportation Department
As many as 22 Idaho Transportation Department employees were disciplined by the agency for improperly using state equipment, with two losing their jobs.
Rep. JoAn Wood, the Rigby Republican who heads the House Transportation Committee, said Tuesday that agency director Brian Ness called her personally to inform her of the disciplinary action.
Wood said an investigation into [...]
Senate backs bill to join talks on Internet sales tax
POSTED: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 02:37 PM PTBY: Simon Shifrin
Tags: Idaho Legislature, Internet, Streamlined Sales Tax Project, taxes
The Idaho Senate voted unanimously to allow the State Tax Commission to participate in talks with 23 other states who are trying to simplify sales and use taxes to make it easier to collect tax revenue from Internet transactions.
The Senate voted 34-0 on March 2 to pass a bill that would let the commission participate [...]
