Latest news with #Idahoans'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Federal judge extends block on Idaho gender-affirming care ban in prisons
Protestors on April 2, 2024, dropped 48,000 handmade hearts — meant to represent LGBTQ Idahoans, in protest of anti-LGBTQ legislation — down the rotunda of the Idaho State Capitol Building. (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun) A federal judge extended a temporary legal block, preventing Idaho from enforcing a new law that would block people in prisons from accessing state-funded gender-affirming health care. Judge David Nye last week extended a preliminary injunction blocking Idaho from enforcing the 2024 state law for all people in Idaho prisons diagnosed with gender dysphoria and receiving hormone therapy. The Idaho Legislature in 2024 passed the law through House Bill 668. Nye has blocked the law from being enforced against people in Idaho prisons in response to a lawsuit brought by ACLU of Idaho. Around 60 to 70 patients in Idaho Department of Correction custody have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, according to documents released in the lawsuit last year. Idaho's law 'clearly violates Idahoans' Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment by denying access to standard, life-saving health care,' ACLU of Idaho Legal Director Paul Southwick told the Idaho Capital Sun in a statement. 'Everyone deserves bodily autonomy and access to necessary medical care, regardless of their gender or incarceration status.' The judicial blocks only last 90 days under limits by federal law. Boise State Public Radio first reported on the extended legal block. The Idaho Attorney General's Office could not be immediately reached for comment. Separately, a federal judge recently blocked federal prisons from enforcing an executive order by President Donald Trump that would've blocked gender-affirming care for people incarcerated in federal prison who have gender dysphoria, Bloomberg Law reported. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Robison et al. v. Labrador prelminary injunction ruling 6-2-25
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Have thoughts on affordable housing in Idaho? Here's how to weigh in on U.S. Sen. Crapo's survey.
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) (R) and Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) preside over a meeting as the committee votes to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The full committee voted along party lines to advance the nomination to the entire Senate for confirmation. (Photo by) U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is collecting Idahoans' opinions on affordable housing through a survey. The survey is meant to inform Crapo about common issues to possibly consider legislation, the senator's office announced in a news release in March. In 2014 and 2015, the senator's veterans' surveys led Crapo to introduce legislation that became law, his office said. 'A lack of affordable housing is the number one issue Idahoans raise with my staff and me in meetings across the State,' Crapo said in a prepared statement. 'Idaho is far from alone in this nationwide challenge, but Idahoans can be a key part in piecing together the housing puzzle as I continue to work to find collaborative solutions to this issue. I invite any Idahoan to complete the survey and share as much detail as they are willing and able to provide.' For two years in a row, Idahoans have listed workforce and affordable housing as their overall top budget priority for the Idaho Legislature, according to the annual Idaho Public Policy Survey by Boise State University. Almost a third of Idahoans, 32%, listed the issue as their top state legislative budget priority. Nearly half of Idahoans, 49%, reported feeling financially strained by housing costs, the survey found. Crapo's affordable housing survey, available online, is open through May 31. The survey is intended to hear feedback from homeowners, renters, insurance brokers, bankers, realtors, government officials and general contractors, Crapo's office said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Idaho House passes budget for new statewide public defense system
Idaho State Capitol building on January 11, 2023. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) The Idaho House of Representatives approved more than $32 million in additional funding for the new statewide public defense system on Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. The funding was included in Senate Bill 1202, which includes budget enhancements for the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Idaho Public Defender's Office and supplemental funding for the current fiscal year 2025 budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Over the last two years, the Idaho Legislature's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has been setting budgets differently by breaking the budgets into two pieces. The first piece is called a maintenance of operations budget. The maintenance budget represents a bare-bones version of the previous year's budget with all of the one-time funding and new funding requests stripped out. The maintenance budget is simply intended to keep the lights on for state agencies. The maintenance budget for the Idaho Public Defender's Office was included in an earlier bill, Senate Bill 1109, which Gov. Brad Little signed into law March 18. The second piece of the budget is referred to as budget enhancements, or the enhanced budget. Budget enhancements include new funding requests or requests for additional staff positions. The budget enhancements for the Idaho Public Defender's Office were included in Senate Bill 1202, which the Idaho House took up Tuesday. Combined with the maintenance budget, the budget enhancements bring total funding for fiscal year 2026 for the Idaho Public Defender's Office to $83.2 million. The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC, cut about $5 million from Gov. Brad Little's $88.6 million funding request. One of the differences between Little's budget request and Senate Bill 1202 has to do with funding for personnel costs. Little sought to increase the rate for contracted attorneys from $100 per hour to $150 per hour. Senate Bill 1202 sets that rate at $125 per hour. In October, Idaho transitioned from paying counties for public defense to a single, statewide system, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. The transition to a new statewide system came following a 2015 ACLU of Idaho lawsuit alleging Idaho's previous county-run public defense system violated low-income Idahoans' Sixth Amendment right to legal counsel. Although the transition to a new statewide system is designed to address many of the concerns with the old system, the Sun has reported the process of moving from 44 different county systems to one statewide system has been rocky and troublesome. Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, acknowledged frustrations with the transition, but said the new funding in the budget is necessary to help get the statewide system up, running and staffed to ensure Idahoans' right to legal representation is honored. 'We have over 1,200 cases without an assigned attorney today, and we still have an obligation to correct and fix this problem and make sure we're not leaving clients without that representation,' Manwaring said. After a 25-minute debate, the Idaho House voted 51-19 to pass Senate Bill 1202. The day before, the Idaho Senate voted 23-12 to pass Senate Bill 1202. Having passed both legislative chambers, Senate Bill 1202 heads next to Gov. Brad Little's desk for final consideration. Once the budget bill reaches his desk, Little will have five days to sign it into law or veto it, otherwise it will become law without his signature. Even though the Idaho House passed the public defense budget Tuesday, the House killed two other budgets. On Tuesday morning the Idaho House killed Senate Bill 1192, the budget enhancements for the Idaho State Liquor Division. That budget included new funding for shrink wrap that is required under the state's new freight contract. In addition, the Idaho House on Tuesday also killed Senate Bill 1193, the budget enhancements for the Office of Information Technology Services. Senate Bill 1193 included $11.1 million in additional funding for new office space, security enhancements, emergency connectivity network enhancements, IT infrastructure investments, software and IT personnel transfers. The Idaho House was not alone in killing budgets. On Monday, the Idaho Senate killed House Bill 450, the budget enhancements for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. House Bill 450 included $800,000 in money from a settlement agreement with Idaho Power to help pay for restoration of wildlife habitat burned in the Valley Fire in the Boise foothills in October. Any of the budgets that were killed may still be rewritten before the Idaho Legislature adjourns for the year. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Delta Dental of Idaho Opens Applications for Spring 2025 Oral Health Grant Program
Funding Available for Programs Advancing Oral Health and Strengthening Idaho's Dental Workforce. BOISE, Idaho, April 01, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Delta Dental of Idaho, the state's leading dental benefits carrier, is now accepting Spring 2025 Oral Health Grant Program applications. This grant program supports organizations dedicated to improving Idahoans' oral health by funding initiatives that enhance dental infrastructure, expand workforce capacity, and increase access to quality dental care across the state. Applications open on April 1, 2025, and must be submitted by April 21, 2025. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $25,000, with priority given to projects serving rural and underserved communities. Eligible applicants must be: A 501(c)(3) public charity; city, county, public health district, public school district, public charter school, nonprofit institution of higher education, tribal government, the State of Idaho or an instrumentality of the state, or a similar not-for-profit public-serving organization. An organization serving individuals within the state of Idaho. Grant funding may be used for: Capacity building initiatives. Capital and equipment investments. Programs and special projects. All grants provide a single year of funding beginning July 1, 2025. Organizations interested in applying can review funding guidelines and submit applications through our grant portal. Delta Dental of Idaho is committed to improving oral health by expanding access to care, enhancing education, and supporting communities statewide. To learn more about our community outreach programs, visit About Delta Dental of Idaho Delta Dental of Idaho is the leading dental benefits carrier in the state, providing quality, affordable dental plans for both companies and individuals. We are a not-for-profit organization seeking to improve the dental health of all Idahoans through our plan offerings and community outreach programs. Nationally, Delta Dental member companies provide coverage to more than 80 million Americans. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media contact: Sonja Deines, sdeines@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
01-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Delta Dental of Idaho Opens Applications for Spring 2025 Oral Health Grant Program
Delta Dental of Idaho, the state's leading dental benefits carrier, is now accepting Spring 2025 Oral Health Grant Program applications. This grant program supports organizations dedicated to improving Idahoans' oral health by funding initiatives that enhance dental infrastructure, expand workforce capacity, and increase access to quality dental care across the state. Applications open on April 1, 2025, and must be submitted by April 21, 2025. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $25,000, with priority given to projects serving rural and underserved communities. Eligible applicants must be: A 501(c)(3) public charity; city, county, public health district, public school district, public charter school, nonprofit institution of higher education, tribal government, the State of Idaho or an instrumentality of the state, or a similar not-for-profit public-serving organization. An organization serving individuals within the state of Idaho. Grant funding may be used for: Capacity building initiatives. Capital and equipment investments. Programs and special projects. All grants provide a single year of funding beginning July 1, 2025. Organizations interested in applying can review funding guidelines and submit applications through our grant portal. Delta Dental of Idaho is committed to improving oral health by expanding access to care, enhancing education, and supporting communities statewide. To learn more about our community outreach programs, visit About Delta Dental of Idaho Delta Dental of Idaho is the leading dental benefits carrier in the state, providing quality, affordable dental plans for both companies and individuals. We are a not-for-profit organization seeking to improve the dental health of all Idahoans through our plan offerings and community outreach programs. Nationally, Delta Dental member companies provide coverage to more than 80 million Americans. For more information, visit SOURCE: Delta Dental of Idaho Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 04/01/2025 09:07 AM/DISC: 04/01/2025 09:07 AM
