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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Republicans altered course Monday on a bill restricting voters in presidential primaries after complaints it would have disenfranchised hundreds of voters. Idaho voters can currently register or switch parties right up to the March presidential primary. But under the bill, voters would have to register with a particular party about 90 days before the presidential primary. The measure passed by the House State Affairs Committee deletes a clause that would have made the bill retroactive and cut out voters who registered as a Republican or Democrat after Dec. 10.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Environmental groups have filed a new lawsuit against the feeding of elk on a Wyoming wildlife refuge. The Sierra Club, National Wildlife Refuge Association and Defenders of Wildlife sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2019, alleging that giving alfalfa to elk to help them survive winters on the National Wildlife Refuge can encourage the spread of disease. The groups allege in a new lawsuit against the service Monday that a recently released plan to reduce feeding won't take effect soon enough. Fish and Wildlife Service officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission is giving tribes priority access to licenses that could help establish or boost internet service in rural communities. Federally recognized tribes could start applying Monday. The licenses are for a mid-band of spectrum, or channels of electromagnetic waves, that largely is unassigned across the western United States. Tribes had pushed to be first in line for the licenses that once were reserved for educational institutions. The FCC has estimated that about one-third of people living on tribal lands don't have access to high-speed internet. Others say the figure is twice as high.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — March and August election dates school districts use to ask voters to approve bonds and levies would be eliminated under new legislation. The House State Affairs Committee on Monday voted to clear the way for a hearing on the measure brought forward by Republican Rep. Wendy Horman. Horman says March and August elections draw fewer voters than May and November elections. She says that allows a small number of people to make important decisions. School districts ask voters to approve bonds to build schools and levies for ongoing expenses. Democratic Rep. Brooke Green said the legislation could have significant ramifications for school districts. Horman says she didn't talk to them.
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