Butch Otter
Idaho Governor Butch Otter is heaping high praise on the hard work and tough fiscal choices made by lawmakers to balance the state’s budget and protect taxpayers from having to shell out more money to make ends meet.
Otter also celebrated the 2010 Legislature Tuesday for sending more than a dozen stern messages reaffirming the state’s sovereignty, ranging from new federal health care mandates to firearms regulations.
The Idaho House and Senate adjourned late Monday after a 78-day session shaped largely by the state’s ongoing economic woes. Lawmakers addressed a $200 million shortfall in fiscal year 2010, then balanced the 2011 budget by imposing cuts in public education and social services.
Minority Democrats lamented the spending cuts and chastised the GOP for ignoring Democratic ideas for job and revenue growth. (AP)
