House speaker clips Thompson’s wings

Kevin Richert | 02/13/2014

State Rep. Jeff Thompson has run up more than $15,000 in taxpayer-funded travel over the past year, and House Speaker Scott Bedke wants Thompson to dial it back a bit.

JeffThompson752 — Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls

“I sat down with Rep. Thompson, and I’ve asked him to prioritize his travel,” Bedke told the Post Register’s Christina Lords, in a story that published Thursday. “I am certainly supportive of him … representing Idaho in these national organizations, but I think that he and I agree that he should concentrate his travel with these organizations where he has a leadership role.”

Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, has been mulling a run for state schools superintendent. He tells the Post Register that the travel reflects his desire to give Eastern Idaho a state and national voice.

“I’ve made it clear to leadership that I want to be involved as much as they need me to be involved,” he said.

(The Post Register story is behind a paywall, so here’s an Associated Press version of the piece.)

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 35 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. He can be reached at [email protected]