The Idaho House loosened its rules on attire as the Capitol Annex begins to heat up.

But the House kept its no spitting and no smoking rules.

Cascade will be Idaho's “Capital for a Day” later this month according to a Friday morning news release from Gov. Butch Otter's office.

Capital For a Day creates an opportunity to meet with Otter, selected cabinet members and state officials on a first-come, first-served basis. Otter's previously headed to Iaho towns including Rathdrum, Kimberly, Priest River and Wendell.

Capital for a Day runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24th at the American Legion building, 105 E. Mill Street in Cascade, and will feature a no-host noon luncheon.

Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, elicited that response from Gov. Butch Otter's budget chief Wayne Hammon after asking about the lack of bike paths in the governor's transportation funding package.

"I know it sounds frivolous," LeFavour said, "but this emphasis on cars and roads with a total lack of dedication to public transportation. We can't keep going down this path. We need to prepare for the future."

Hammon replied: "The future of Idaho is not contained in the North End. There are people all over this state that don't have the option of riding their bike to work."

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee reached a compromise on the disbursement of geothermal royalties Wednesday morning, which could be a sign of things to come for the committee.

The dispute centered on what to do with $2.1 million that was supposed to go to the Renewable Energy Resources Fund to fund the Office of Energy Resources.

Wording in a 2008 bill left that money with the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Idaho House Education Committee on Tuesday quickly approved and sent two charter school notification bills on to the full House for consideration.

The first bill, HB212, requires that regular schools receive written notice on public hearings when charter schools petition to open or increase enrollment by more than 10 percent.

The committee approved the bill with no questions or debate.

The second bill, SB1121, was sponsored by Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene.

“After the last bill, this should be a piece of cake as well,” Goedde quipped.

Despite the announcement last week that wolves in Idaho would be de-listed, the Idaho Senate followed through with a vote on House Joint Memorial 1, which calls on the federal government to hand the management of the wolves to the state.

Rep. Lenore Hardy Barrett, R-Challis, first proposed the memorial, which has no legal standing. Sen. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, carried the bill in the Senate.

The memorial calls for the federal government to defend the de-listing in court.

Idaho Sen. Jim Risch said the early euphoria has passed and he's anxious to claim his office space in Washington, D.C.

Risch, like other freshmen senators, has been in temporary quarters for two months, with a windowless private office. His staff has little privacy; all are housed in cubicles. It also is difficult to host Idaho visitors, Risch told the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday.

Risch said he hopes to get his office assignment in the next 24 hours. "At first, the freshmen were all saying, 'I'm just glad to be here.' We're beyond that now. We're ready to get settled."

A bill outlining new rules for how the State Tax Commission handles settlement agreements passed the Idaho Senate Monday morning.

The bill's sponsor, Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, first recited the chorus from the famed Kenny Rogers anthem "The Gambler."

"You can be grateful I didn't sing that," Hill said. "Senate Bill 1128 tells the tax commission to know when to hold, fold, walk and run."

Brian Murphy
bmurphy@idahostatesman.com

• Idaho Fish & Game Director Cal Groen said that a wolf hunt could take place as soon as this fall after the federal decision to de-list wolves in Idaho.

"This de-listing it's going to be good for the wolves, elk and good for our rural communities," he said. "The wolves are getting into places where they shouldn't be and costing a lot of unneeded conflict."

• Idaho senators gave an ovation Friday morning when Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow, altered them to the federal announcement about that the state’s wolves would be de-listed.

Gov. Butch Otter howled at the ceiling.

The gesture marked Otter’s announcement that wolves would be de-listed from the endangered species list within the hour.

His high-pitched celebration brought a few chuckles from a gaggle of journalist-types gathered for a Idaho Press Club Q&A breakfast Friday morning in Downtown Boise.

President Barack Obama’s administration made the announcement this morning. Wolves in Montana and Idaho will be de-listed. Wolves will remain protected in Wyoming.