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The Idaho Legislature is the place where laws are made that affect every resident of the Gem State. Each year, 105 lawmakers gather at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise for three or four months to make the important decisions regarding everything from taxes to education to health and welfare.Each week during the 2017 session, we’ll update you on what’s happening in the legislature. We’ll follow bills as they work their way through the Stateshouse to become laws. We’ll take a look behind the scenes at what lawmakers are doing and what it means to you. And we’ll put it all in a broader context, as we examine what other state legislatures are doing around the country.We’ll chat with Gary Moncrief, who has years of experience with state legislatures in the U.S. and Idaho’s lawmakers. He’s a University Distinguished Professor of Political Science (Emeritus) at Boise State University. He is a frequent speaker at meetings of state legislators around the country and is the coauthor or editor of six books, including the new second edition of WHY STATES MATTER, available in February of 2017. So tune in to our 2017 Weekly Legislative Update every Friday morning at 6:44 a.m. and 8:44 a.m. on KBSX 91.5.

Legislative Update: The Power Of Committee Chairs In The Idaho Statehouse

Ada County Statehouse Capitol Building House Chambers
Frankie Barnhill
/
Boise State Public Radio

Week five is just about over for the Idaho Legislature. Lawmakers have debated the definition of casino-style gambling, Fish and Game fees and man-made climate change. And Representatives on the House floor made the rare move to kill a bill about license plates, only the second time this session a bill has gone down to defeat there.

In this 2017 Weekly Legislative Update, Boise State University political science professor Gary Moncrief takes a look at the three types of lawmakers that make up state legislatures. And he looks at the power of committee chairs in the Idaho Statehouse. He says that became apparent with some recent bills from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Moncrief says over the next few weeks we will see dozens of public hearings on bills and we’ll see more debate over legislation on the House and Senate floors.

Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio

Copyright 2017 Boise State Public Radio

As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life!). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.

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