U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo told the Idaho Senate that despite the partisan nature of the debates in Washington, D.C., there is growing consensus in the Congress around energy policy.

“There’s a very significant look across this country, pushed by the people of this country, to have a meaningful effort for us to find bipartisanship and common effort to solve these problems,” Crapo said.

House Bill 391 — the Idaho Health Freedom Act — cleared another hurdle Wednesday morning, passing through the Senate State Affairs Committee after a lengthy debate. Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, introduced the legislation, which passed the House on a party-line vote earlier this session.

Here’s an interesting sidebar to a story in Wednesday’s Idaho Statesman.

First, the story — Otter’s budget hit balky agencies

Gov. Butch Otter’s budget director Wayne Hammon calls out Idaho Public Television for its unwillingness to sacrifice in the face of severe budget cuts.

No. Former Republican Rep. Bill Sali has not broken his silence and answered the question of whether he will seek a rematch with Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick, who barely beat him in 2008.

But the May 25 GOP primary has a third candidate, joining state Rep. Raul Labrador and Marine veteran Vaughn Ward, both of Eagle.

It's Michael L. Chadwick, 60, of Post Falls, who has announced on his Web site that he's entered the race for the U.S. House. Chadwick grew up in Payette County and graduated from New Plymouth High School in 1967.

Boise Democratic Sen. Les Bock and immigration rights activist Leo Morales will headline a forum titled "Immigrant Justice and Human Rights in the Treasure Valley" on Thursday.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Shangri-La Tea House at 1800 W. Overland Rd., Boise. Morales works for the Idaho Community Action Network.

Gov. Butch Otter's Task Force on Modernizing Transportation Funding will hear from the chairman of a new seven-member Public Transportation Subcommittee that will consider Idaho’s long-term public transportation needs and funding options.

U.S. Sen. Jim Risch warned the Idaho Senate that the country faces collapse if the national debt is not tackled quickly.

“No government has ever survived and no economy has ever survived when the national debt hit 90 percent of GDP,” Risch said. “We will hit 90 percent in a few years.”

Risch said he was not predicting a collapse of the government because “I believe in American exceptionalism. … I think our culture’s different … Can we survive when no other country has? If Congress doesn’t change its ways we’re going to find out.”

U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick, the lone Democrat in Idaho’s congressional delegation, told the Idaho Senate that it could “show the rest of the nation the way” by working together to solve the state’s problems.

Minnick, in his first-term as the representative from the 1st Congressional District, began his remarks by assailing the partisan spirit in Washington, D.C.

The latest edition of the Tea Party Boise newsletter says the group will remain nonpartisan and look "for good new candidates to replace politically entrenched incumbents."

In the newsletter published Tuesday, writer Nancy Armstrong asks, "are prepared to continue the battle of dismantling unconstitutional government policies and programs? Are we committed to this end -- demanding fiscal responsibility, less government, lower taxes, return of state rights and protection of private property?"

The House Education Committee approved legislation Monday that would give students scholarships to in-state public institutions for graduating early.

House Bill 493, co-sponsored by Rep. Steven Thayn, R-Emmett, and Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, will now head to the full House.

The bill creates the Master Advancement Pilot Project to incentive early graduation.

“When you do a risk-reward analysis of this proposal, the potential for improvement is quite high and the likelihood of cost of loss or risk of failure it quite low,” Thayn said.