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Posts published in “Day: November 20, 2009”

Substantially completed

November 20, 2009
 

 

Idaho Statehouse reconstruction/YouTube

There was some concern, expressed publicly during the last legislative session, that the reconstruction work at the Idaho Statehouse might not be done in time for the next session. But evidently it is, or just about.

A press release from the state Capitol Commission says that "Capitol restoration construction managers presented the Idaho State Capitol Commission with their certificate of Substantial Completion today after commissioners completed a walk-through inspection. The 30-month, $120 million project is on schedule to accommodate the 2010 legislative session in the restored and expanded building."

Doors open on January 9; the last of the construction work, and then move-in, will likely continue until just about then (and maybe a little past).

It's been a longish haul, but not much different than in recent statehouse work in Olympia and Salem; it does take a while. And the offices have managed reasonably well in their locations nearby, though the people in them will no doubt be delighted to move out of the cramped annex and Borah building.

There's been one disquieting note in recent days, about proposals by commission members to more sharply limit displays in the Statehouse (notably the long-running and widely-enjoyed Buy Idaho display, which traditionally have spread to three or four floors). A suggestion: Commissioners may find that pleasure in the end result of this project will relate to how open the building is. The Idaho Statehouse has a tradition of bring a building broadly open to the public, and that is one thing about it that ought to change as little as possible.

Wyden’s addition

November 20, 2009

It's being billed as a three-senator deal - Senators Max Baucus, Harry Reid and Oregon's Ron Wyden - but the history demonstrates that this is Wyden's baby: A change in the Senate version of the health care bill that would dramatically change the health insurance picture for not just a sliver of people, but for most. And in a way that allows for more options.

Essentially, this is an agreement to insert into the health bill the Wyden proposal called "Free Choice." His office describes it this way:

"Under the Senate legislation as it is currently written, Americans with employer-provided coverage, whose income is below 400 percent of the federal poverty level and whose premiums are between 8 and 9.8 percent of their total income will be exempt from having to purchase health coverage but will not be able to access the exchange to qualify for government assistance to purchase insurance. The agreed to amendment will make it possible for these individuals to convert their tax-free employer health subsidies into vouchers that they can use to choose a health insurance plan in the new health insurance exchanges. The Congressional Budget Office estimates a previous version of this provision will expand coverage to more than a million Americans."

Wyden's comment: "While this is just one step in the direction of guaranteeing choices for all Americans, it is a major step because – for the first time – it introduces the concept of individual choice to a marketplace where it has long been foreign." And "foreign" is a good word choice.

That alone makes Wyden one of the major authors of the bill coming up for Senate voting.