BOISE, Idaho

Lawmakers kill legislation over Sharia law concerns

An Idaho House panel voted 9-8 on Friday to kill legislation to bring the state into compliance with federal child-support collection rules after some lawmakers said they were concerned about Sharia law influencing Idaho’s enforcement authority. Idaho child support program director Kandace Yearsley said the committee’s decision has placed Idaho at risk of losing nearly $46 million in federal child-support funding as well as access to the federal enforcement tools used to collect child-support payments from parents living in other states.

But some members of the House committee said they were concerned the bill was tied to an international convention regarding cross-border recovery of child-support payments.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

Mayors ramp up efforts to conserve water supplies

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced this week that his city would be deploying water cops and offering money to rip up lawns in an effort to save water during an escalating drought. He’s among several leaders of California cities, including Los Angeles, proclaiming commitment to water conservation and vowing to move ahead of the state in slashing water use with initiatives including awareness programs, incentives and beefed-up enforcement with warning letters and fines.

Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order mandating water use reductions as the Sierra snowpack, California’s key water source, vanishes. Days later, regulators released plans to enforce his order by assigning each city a water use reduction target, some as much as 35 percent.

– From news service reports