Latest news with #Rubel
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dominated by a series of tax cuts, Idaho Legislature adjourns 2025 legislative session
The Idaho State Capitol building in Boise on May 5, 2021. (Otto Kitsinger for the Idaho Capital Sun) As expected, the Idaho Legislature wrapped up its business Friday and adjourned the 2025 legislative session after 89 days at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. The 2025 session was dominated by a series of tax cuts that also reduce the amount of state revenue that is available to pay for the state budget. House Bill 40 lowers both the individual and corporate income tax from 5.695% to 5.3% and reduces state revenue by $253 million. House Bill 304 shifts money to a state property tax reduction fund and a fund to pay for school facilities. To pay for the shifts, the new law reduces state revenue by $100 million. House Bill 231 increases the grocery tax credit that is designed to offset the sales tax Idahoans pay for food to $155 per year for everyone. To pay for the increased grocery tax credit, House Bill 231 reduces state revenue by $50 million. Another new law, House Bill 93, provides a refundable tax credit for education expenses for families, including tuition and private, religious schools. To pay for the tax credits, House Bill 93 reduces state revenue by $50 million. House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, said the tax cuts were among the biggest, most enduring accomplishments of the year. 'We have over $400 million in tax relief this year,' Moyle said Friday afternoon. 'We touched income tax, we touched property tax, we touched sales tax and we did a good job of adjusting all of those in a downward trend, which is good for the state of Idaho,' Moyle said. Each of the laws reduces the taxes Idahoans pay, help pay down school bonds and levies that are paid for by property taxes or provides a tax credit. But to do so, those four laws reduce state revenue by a combined $453 million. Democratic legislative leaders had a different perspective on the tax cuts, saying that they worry the Idaho Legislature cut too much revenue and could stretch the state thin in the event of an economic downturn. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, also said that to make room for tax cuts, Republican legislators walked away from grant programs and zeroed out a series of initiatives from Gov. Brad Little. Rubel said legislators walked away from $15 million from the affordable housing fund, $22 million for road and bridge repair, almost $25 million in home energy rebates that will now go to other states, cut a requested expansion of a rural physician loan repayment program, cut workforce training programs at Idaho colleges and more. 'These are debts that are going to be left for our children and grandchildren to pay with a shrunken pot of revenue to cover it,' Rubel said Friday. 'This is the textbook opposite of fiscal conservatism, folks.' In a statement issued late Friday afternoon, Little congratulated legislators on what he called 'a productive 2025 legislative session.' 'America wants what Idaho has – safe communities, bustling economic activity, increasing incomes, tax relief, fewer regulations, fiscal responsibility, and common sense values,' Little wrote. 'I thank my partners in the Idaho Legislature for working so hard for the people of Idaho. I am especially proud of the record tax relief, support for law enforcement, ongoing money for water infrastructure, additional support for rural school facilities and literacy, full funding for Launch, and the billions in additional capacity for roads. The list of successes is long, and there is still more we can and should do for Idahoans.' While there is no doubt the 2025 legislative session was contentious and divisive, legislators from both parties did come together at times. On March 5, the Idaho House voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 1001, a new law designed to protect free speech and combat frivolous strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPP, lawsuits. Little signed the anti-SLAPP bill into law March 10. The Idaho House and Idaho Senate also voted unanimously to pass House Bill 158, a new media shield law that protects sources who provide confidential information or documents to journalists. Little signed the shield protections into law on March 27. The Idaho Legislature also passed House Bill 445, the 2026 Idaho Department of Water Resources budget that includes $30 million in funding for water infrastructure projects. Following a 2024 water curtailment order that sent shockwaves through Idaho's agricultural community, some legislators called House Bill 445 the most important bill of the 2025 session This year's legislative session was marked by a sharp increase in the volume of legislation that was prepared. According to data compiled by the nonpartisan Idaho Legislative Services Office, as of Friday staffers prepared 1,036 pieces of legislation this year – by far the most pieces of legislation in the past six years. For comparison, over the same time period in 2023, staffers had only prepared 861 pieces of legislation. Idaho legislators missed the Republican leadership team's original adjournment target date of March 21 because the 2026 budget was unfinished and because of ongoing disagreements between leaders of the Idaho House and Idaho Senate. Legislators nearly wrapped up their business for the year Thursday, when they passed key unfinished elements of the 2026 budget. But Senate leaders said they were short-staffed and the procedures required to wrap up the session would have kept them too late last night. Friday was the 89th day of the 2025 legislative session, which began Jan. 6. The 2024 legislative session adjourned sine die on April 10, after 94 days in session. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Khaleej Times
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Workers win car, flight tickets, mobile phones during Eid Al Fitr celebration
This Eid Al Fitr will forever remain special for Rubel Ahmed Samsad Ali, who won a brand-new car in an event dedicated to honouring the hard work and contributions of workers across the UAE. The event celebrated the contributions of over 100,000 workers who have played a crucial role in the country's development and prosperity. Rubel's win, a standout moment of the occasion, reflected the UAE's appreciation for its workers' dedication in shaping the nation's progress. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre), in collaboration with its partners in federal and local governments, organised a series of celebratory events, including social and recreational activities for workers to celebrate Eid Al Fitr, held at 10 different locations across the UAE. Rubel won a Nissan Sunny car in a special draw held on the second day of Eid. Top officials presented a visibly excited Rubel with the car on the grand stage and he later posed for the cameras in front of his brand-new vehicle. The celebrations, from 12pm to 6pm, on the first and second days of Eid, featured a variety of sports, entertainment, competitions and giveaways, including e-scooters, mobile phones and airline tickets. Gifts were also distributed to workers at event locations in Musaffah and Al Mafraq in Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali in Dubai, Al Sajaa in Sharjah, Al Jurf in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, RAKIZ in Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hail Industrial in Fujairah, and the Dulsco Labour Village. These activities were designed to promote happiness, quality of life, and well-being among the workforce, while recognising their crucial role in the nation's sustainable development. performing the Eid prayers at the event sites across the country, exchanging greetings with them on the occasion.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho Legislature prepares highest number of bills in last five years
The Idaho State Capitol building in Boise as seen on Jan. 11, 2023. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) The Idaho Legislature has introduced so many new bills this year that some Republicans are trying to expand a state government office in order to handle the onslaught of new legislation. According to data compiled by the Idaho Legislative Services Office, the Idaho Legislature has prepared and introduced more bills this legislative session than any session over the previous five years. Through Friday, the end of the 10th week in the 2025 legislative session, staff had prepared 890 pieces of legislation this year. That compares to just 793 pieces of legislation prepared over the same 10-week time period in 2023 and 784 pieces of legislation from the same time period in 2022. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said she has noticed a huge shift in the volume of bills since she was first appointed to the Idaho Legislature 2014. Rubel blamed an influx of out-of-state form legislation on the increased volume of bills. Form legislation, or model legislation, is where a group or an organization creates bill templates that could be shopped around different state legislatures all across the country once a lobbyist or legislator makes a few minor wording changes to localize a bill, the Sun has previously reported. Examples include bills that block transgender athletes participating in women's sports and the Texas-style immigration bill that surfaced as House Bill 83 in Idaho this year. Groups including the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Foundation for Government Accountability have been involved in form legislation in Idaho or worked with Idaho legislators. 'A lot of this is being driven, frankly, by these out-of-state bill mills,' Rubel said in an interview Tuesday. Rubel said she thinks the increase in out-of-state form legislation dovetails with the introduction of a new bill, House Bill 378, that seeks to increase transparency by asking legislators to self-disclose any out-of-state government travel for government purposes that legislators did not pay for themselves. 2025: 890 2024: 873 2023: 793 2022: 784 2021: 794 2020: 775 Source: Idaho Legislative Services Office 'The reality is a lot of people are going to these right wing think tank conferences where they have these cookie cutter boiler plate bills that they're trying to shop in every red state of America,' Rubel said. 'And you see the same bill, basically, that's introduced in Texas on Monday, in Arkansas on Tuesday, and Idaho on Wednesday, and Tennessee on Thursday. And they are not tailored to what we need in Idaho. They are not driven by any desires of the people of Idaho, or any needs of the people of Idaho. They are being driven by an ideologue, often 2,000 or 3,000 miles away, who are just cranking these bills out and just shopping them everywhere.' On Tuesday, Rep. Josh Tanner, an Eagle Republican who often tries to reduce budgets and spending, made an unsuccessful attempt to expand the Legislative Services Office to hire a bill drafting attorney. CONTACT US During Tuesday's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, Tanner tried to add one full-time position and $128,500 in additional state spending to the Legislative Services Office. Tanner's request was above what the Legislative Services Office and Gov. Brad Little requested. Just six days earlier, Tanner had led the effort to zero out funding to expand a popular physicians recruitment program to help doctors working in underserved Idaho cities and towns. Last Wednesday, Tanner asked, 'Where is enough enough within some of these programs?' But on Tuesday, Tanner said he had taken a close look at the increased workload bill drafters face and decided that the one new employee he requested probably still was not enough. 'I thought at least going with one was a necessary thing to make sure that our staff is being taken care of,' Tanner said Tuesday. 'Whether it is the workload that we are pushing on them, there is no law out there that says we cannot bring a bill forward or go ask questions to them.' Tanner's motion failed on a deadlocked 10-10 vote. Rep. James Petzke, R-Meridian, voted against the increased funding and the new bill drafting attorney position after saying JFAC should follow its own guidance to produce efficient, lean budgets. 'This is making me really uneasy,' Petzke said. 'I believe that we need to eat our own cooking,' Petzke added. 'We've done a really good job as a committee this year of limiting every budget. We've cut tens of millions of dollars, including we just cut a whole bunch out of (the Idaho Transportation Department). We've cut dozens of (full-time positions) out of all agencies across the state. We made (the Division of Financial Management) eat their own cooking on the 3% cap. I think that we need to hold ourselves to a similar standard.' Even as legislators hope to wind down the legislative session, new bills have been introduced this week. Republican leaders set a nonbinding target to adjourn the 2025 legislative session March 21. However, the Idaho Legislatures Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has fallen behind and has not set many of the major fiscal year 2026 budgets for state agencies, delaying legislators from adjourning. There is no requirement to adjourn an Idaho legislative session by any certain date, but most last for 75 to 90 days. However, the 2021 legislative session – which was marked by extended recesses and a COVID-19 work stoppage – ran for 311 days, became the longest legislative session in state history and did not officially adjourn until Nov. 17. Tuesday marked the 72nd day of the 2025 legislative session. ProgressRpt (1) SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho House widely passes bill to limit youth access to ‘indecent sexual exhibitions'
The Idaho State Capitol Building in Boise shines in the sunlight on Jan. 7, 2025. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) The Idaho House widely passed a bill to limit youth access to public performances considered 'indecent sexual exhibitions,' such as drag shows. House Bill 230, sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, would require event hosts and organizers to 'take reasonable steps to restrict' minors' access to public performances that involve 'live persons engaged in sexual conduct,' if such performances are 'patently offensive to an average person applying contemporary community standards in the adult community.' Minors exposed would have a cause of action under the bill, giving them standing in lawsuits. The bill's statement of purpose says the legislation 'uses the same indecency standard utilized by the federal government to determine whether content is appropriate for daytime television.' Calling the bill 'constitutionally sound,' Hill told House lawmakers the bill's focus is to create 'a duty of care for' providers or performers of 'sexually indecent exhibitions.' 'I see that the goal posts, as they say, are moving. What is acceptable? The reason why the government needs to step in (is) because the boundary keeps moving farther and farther out. And that's where it's time for us to say, 'Let's, let's protect our children,'' Hill said. The Idaho House of Representatives passed the bill after little debate Monday on a 54-11 vote. All of the Idaho House's nine Democrats voted against the bill, joined by two Republicans. Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, and Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, voted against the bill but did not debate it on the House floor. Five lawmakers were absent for the House vote. Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, the only lawmaker who debated the bill on the House floor, said the bill proposes 'an extremely vague standard' that would 'run afoul of the First Amendment' and would likely shut down 'a lot of the arts in Idaho that are not indecent.' 'I feel like you would not be able to put on a high school production of 'Grease' under this bill,' Rubel argued in House floor debate. 'Ordinary theater would be exposed to vast amounts of civil liability. I think this goes way too far.' Responding to Rubel's debate, Hill said 'we negotiated with' Boise State University 'on their performing arts.' 'And we're very specific about that. The standards of patently offensive by contemporary community standards,' Hill continued. 'And that's — none of that come close to qualify what we see in the performing arts.' The bill now heads to the Idaho Senate, where it could receive a committee hearing and a full vote by the Senate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Under the bill, minors who are exposed to 'sexual conduct' would have a right to sue event organizers for $5,000 in statutory damages as well as monetary damages for 'psychological, emotional, economic and physical harm suffered.' Affirmative defenses to such lawsuits include contracts that say event performers will not engage in performances that violate the legislation; minors at least age 14 are accompanied by a legal guardian or parent, or their parent or legal guardian 'provided prior written consent' for the minor to attend the show 'in the company of a designated adult;' or people being sued 'had reasonable cause to believe' the minor was an adult. The Idaho Family Policy Center, an organization that advocates for conservative Christian policies, drafted the bill. It previously tried to ban drag performances in public spaces in 2023, and this year drafted legislation to require Bibles be read in schools. While the bill does not explicitly say the words 'drag shows,' the policy center said the legislation was inspired by drag shows held in public parks in Coeur d'Alene and Boise, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. In a statement immediately after the House passed the bill, Idaho Family Policy Center President Blaine Conzatti thanked the House 'for standing to protect our children and our communities, and we look forward to working with the Idaho Senate to better protect the innocence of our kids and the morality of this great state.' If passed into law, the bill would take effect 30 days after being signed by the governor through an emergency clause. To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate and avoid the governor's veto. Another bill introduced in the House last week aims to amend Idaho's indecent exposure law in response to a Canyon County Pride event that took place in June. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
