Idaho House speaker says he won't block a financial disclosure bill

File this promise away for 2010.

Having single-handedly killed a financial disclosure bill earlier this year, House Speaker Lawerence Denney says he will not stand in the way next time.

The Midvale Republican remains lukewarm to the idea, though. “Personally I don’t have any problem with disclosure of anything that I do, but I do know that there were a number of people that were very concerned,” Denney told the Spokane Spokesman-Review's Betsy Russell.

However, lukewarm would be an improvement. This year, the Senate voted 34-0 to pass a bill requiring legislators and candidates to file financial disclosure statements. When the bill made its way to the House, Denney held it at his desk, effectively killing the bill.

Speakers can do that sort of thing, although Denney's stated reason was weak. Denney was irked because the House wasn't consulted on the bill. Not so, Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis tells Russell; the House rebuffed the Senate.

Whatever, gentlemen.

Let's get this done.

Idaho is one of three states that doesn't require financial disclosure. Let's set aside the always-amusing House-Senate squabbling long enough to address this failing.

And let's do it next year.

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Amusing???

The media may find the constant House-Senate squabbling "amusing," but Idahoans don't. The overly long and costly 2009 session proved without a doubt that our state's one-party government is failing us, and the way Denney held the disclosure bill hostage to spite Davis is yet another alarming indicator of the political posturing between the tea-party Republicans and their more moderate brethren. Meanwhile, Idaho suffers.

I'll believe it when I see it...

I'm going to bet money that he finds some other way to stall the legislation. Of course, I could be wrong (wouln't be a shock) but I'm willing to make a small wager.

Agreed ...

... Denny will find another tactic to stall the legislation or water it down to fit the views of his cronies. As long as he has control, citizens will never know full disclosure or be able to identify the more than obvious conflicts of interest. It is the Idaho way?

Agreed ...

... Denny will find another tactic to stall the legislation or water it down to fit the views of his cronies. As long as he has control, citizens will never know full disclosure or be able to identify the more than obvious conflicts of interest. It is the Idaho way?

Here is the full financial disclosure you requested...

Cost: We don't know
Revenue projection: Nobody has any
Funding source(s): Ask Obama, ask again until it sounds fatal
Goal: Play BSU fight song
Impact: Will make a dull thud like a dud rocket.

God Bless America.

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There is no life in Idaho...it is a mirror site on god's server. You were dreaming but it is over. Go to your residence and await our commands and THEN we will restore control...

oh, goody

all it means is that supporters of the bill have to go through the entire process again, and hope that someone else doesn't decide to get stubborn about it. Does the Legislature have so much time on its hands that it can afford to play around like this, at a cost of $30,000 a day?

Anyway, where do you get this large a staff for $30,000? EH???

You pay more for far more lackluster performance and get french fries.

That is all anybody can latch on to and argue about?

THIRTY THOUSAND SIMOLEANS, KIDS. I honestly believe y'all WILL die!

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There is no life in Idaho...it is a mirror site on god's server. You were dreaming but it is over. Go to your residence and await our commands and THEN we will restore control...

Could This Be True?

If passed will this mean transport ion company owners won't be able to vote tax breaks for their businesses? Wait, that's ethics.

What's that have to do w/the price of Britney Spears in China?

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There is no life in Idaho...it is a mirror site on god's server. You were dreaming but it is over. Go to your residence and await our commands and THEN we will restore control...

Baby

When a bill passes one body unanimously, it deserves discussion and a vote in the other body.

Denney is totally disrespectful of the Idaho Senate.

The people of Midvale should be embarrassed!

Ah, hell, let's not do THAT again???

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There is no life in Idaho...it is a mirror site on god's server. You were dreaming but it is over. Go to your residence and await our commands and THEN we will restore control...