Gov. Little: Idaho should expect 'economic shock' with Trump priorities
Governor Brad Little is warning Idahoans of a potential economic shock as President Donald Trump slashes federal programs and the government workforce.
But he said Idaho is poised to withstand the uncertainty.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said it wants to chop the size of the federal workforce. It’s fired tens of thousands of employees in the past few weeks.
Gov. Little met with several cabinet members in D.C. last week to get a taste of their priorities.
"They are going to want to reduce the size of government and we states and we individuals are going to pick up part of the cost of it," he said.
That means state lawmakers will need to be prudent with their spending — and tax cuts in particular, Little said. He proposed $100 million in tax cuts. House Republicans countered with a package costing more than $400 million.
"If I would’ve thought we could do [$450 million], I would’ve proposed [$450 million]," Little said.
The largest piece of that package, which would cut income tax rates, passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate.
Little also said he has concerns about a bill to subsidize private school tuition using taxpayer dollars.
But he didn’t confirm whether he’d allow the measure to become law.
Little says the bill met only one of the five criteria he laid out in his State of the State address: that it costs 50 million dollars.
"There’s not enough accountability in it," he said. "But to that mind, I don’t think there’s enough accountability in the money we give public schools, either."
The measure, which passed without veto proof majorities in the House and Senate, would give families five thousand dollars in tax credits per child.
The governor has until 11:46 a.m. Thursday to sign the bill, let it pass into law without his signature or veto it.
WA federal judge temporarily blocks Trump refugee suspension
Advocates for the United States refugee program get a victory in federal court in Seattle Tuesday.
The judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s executive order suspending all refugee arrivals and funding.
Attorney Deepa Alagesan with the International Refugee Assistance Project praised the ruling, saying "The harm being inflicted on refugees, the agencies that serve them and the communities that welcome them is irreparable. And the longer the Trump Administration is allowed to act unlawfully, the longer and more difficult it will be to undo these harms."
An attorney for the Justice Department argued that the president’s order is well within his powers.
But Judge Jamal Whitehead said the president has “substantial discretion,” but not “limitless” power.
Plaintiff lawyers said their understanding is that refugee processing can resume immediately.
North Idaho College continues to dig itself out of accreditation hole
The North Idaho College trustees convene tonight for their first board meeting since getting good news from the school’s accrediting agency.
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities this week reduced the sanctions its imposed on the college in 2022 due to the actions of a previous slate of trustees.
President Nick Swayne says NIC has satisfied six of the agency’s 11 areas of concerns and is making progress on the others.
“There’s somewhat of a tax that we have been paying because of the accreditation question. It’s more difficult to recruit people. Students may be staying away, just a number of things," he said.
Swayne says NIC has been given another year to finish its work in the other areas. That includes reinstating confidence in the leadership and trustees. He says the staff has rescinded its vote of no confidence and expects the faculty and students to do the same, perhaps as early as tonight.
Swayne says the positive momentum is paying dividends. He says enrollment is up 15% this academic year.
Mediation next for dispute over Spokane city inclusion in regional emergency system
A Washington House committee has weighed in on a dispute between Spokane city and county over whether the city will formally join the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications system.
The two entities have been negotiating for months, but haven’t come to a mutually agreeable arrangement.
On Tuesday, the House Finance Committee approved a bill that would require the city and county to split the proceeds of a county excise tax on phone lines. That would help the city pay to create its own public safety dispatch center, if necessary.
The bill passed 10-5 with Rep. Hunter Abell, who represents north Spokane County, voting against.
“I was recently informed that the county and the city are headed to mediation on this issue in the next month or so," he said.
"My experience, certainly my legal practice is that trial in lieu of alternate dispute resolution is a poor use of resources. I think legislation in lieu of ADR is also a poor use of resources.”
Spokespeople for both Spokane city and county have confirmed their entities have agreed to mediation, though no negotiating sessions are yet scheduled.
Washington Senate considers bill that limits public places where guns can be carried
A bill that proposes to expand the number of areas where guns cannot be carried continues to work its way through the Washington state Senate.
Those would include places where children are often present, like parks, public buildings, and county fairs. The bill would require signage in those spaces to inform the public of the ban.
During a hearing before the Senate Transportation Committee this week, retired Snohomish County teacher Jane Weiss testified her 19-year-old niece was killed during a mass shooting in California in 2019.
“Firearms have no place in public parks or fairgrounds. In places where children and families expect to be safe, guns are wrong. The mere presence of a firearm increases the chances of intimidation and trauma. And can lead to tragedy. No one should feel unsafe at a place of play or a large crowd like a fair," she said.
The bill faces opposition from Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney, who worries that the bill could lead to crippling lawsuits for her county.
"What happens with your overly vague and subjective language here," she said. "We’re going to have gun violence occur anywhere a child may gather, and we didn’t put a sign there, and the municipality is going to be sued and we will be embroiled in a lawsuit.”
The bill has already passed two Senate committees, but was routed to the Transportation Committee because of the fiscal impact it would have for the Department of Transportation. Bill analysts say the state Department of Transportation would have to spend about $370,000 to install warning signs at many of the agency’s centers.
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Reporting contributed by James Dawson, Amy Radil, Doug Nadvornick and Steve Jackson.