Idaho Bills

States findings of the Legislature and calls on Congress to pass and fully fund legislation that fulfills the 40% federal funding commitment in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The purpose of this resolution is to call upon Congress to honor its long-standing statutory commitment to fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at the promised forty percent level. For decades, the federal government has failed to meet this obligation, resulting in an ongoing unfunded mandate that effectively shifts federal costs to states, local school districts, and property taxpayers. Fully funding IDEA would restore federal accountability for a federally mandated program, relieve ongoing pressure on state and local education budgets, reduce reliance on property taxes to backfill federal funding shortfalls, and strengthen educational outcomes. It would allow existing resources to be used more effectively to serve students with disabilities and their families.

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law to establish the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act.

This bill is an update of current Idaho Code sections that address guardianship and conservatorship for adults and minors. These are found in the Uniform Probate Code (Title 15, Chapter 5) and in The Care and Treatment of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (Title 66, Chapter 4). This legislation is the result of over five (5) years of intense study of issues related to guardianship and conservatorship by legal experts, community groups, and others. This bill adds further protections on multiple levels for those involved in the guardianship and conservatorship processes. It provides clarity in areas where questions have arisen in the current Code. It provides multiple detailed alternatives to formal guardianship and conservatorship court proceedings, including Protective Arrangements and Supported Decision Making. It retains multiple Idaho procedures that are working well. It requires detailed information at the beginning of a guardianship or conservatorship process under the Code. It protects the constitutional rights of persons subject to the Code or those affected by proceedings under the Code, including more stringent notice provisions and required written statements of rights both at service of the petition and before hearings. It sets higher standards of evidence (usually “clear and convincing”). It also moves the conservatorship and guardianship provisions for persons with developmental disabilities into the Probate Code. This gives the additional protections in the Probate Code while retaining all the existing protections for individuals with developmental disabilities. The bill also organizes the Code into a more logical set of chapters.

States findings of the Legislature and calls on the federal government to protect Idaho citizens who file depredation claims.

Grazing leases or permits on federal land are a valuable property right and can be critical to the success of Idaho ranchers. A rancher should not have their grazing lease or permit be adversely impacted because they submitted a depredation claim regarding their livestock. This Memorial calls upon the federal government to adopt rules to ensure that depredation claims cannot be used as a basis for modifying or revising a federal grazing permit or lease.

Amends and adds to existing law to eliminate the fee for the copyrighted license plate design and to establish the America250 license plate for the benefit of the Idaho Heritage Trust.

Currently, the Idaho Heritage Trust receives .50 cents per plate for every license plate using the standard design. This legislation removes the .50 cent fee. It creates a new America250 specialty license plate. Like other specialty license plates supporting outside organizations, a portion of the America250 specialty license plate fee will go to the Idaho Heritage Trust.

Relates to the maintenance appropriation to General Government for fiscal year 2027.

RS33529 / H0867 This is the FY 2027 Maintenance Appropriation for General Government. This bill includes appropriations to the Department of Administration, Capitol Commission, Board of Tax Appeals, State Tax Commission, Commission on the Arts, Commission on Aging, Division of Financial Management, Division of Human Resources, Office of Drug Policy, STEM Action Center, Wolf Depredation Control Board, Military Division, PERSI, Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Office of Information Technology Services, Office of Energy and Mineral Resources, State Liquor Division, Workforce Development Council, and Office of Species Conservation. The appropriation includes standard adjustments for personnel benefit costs, contract inflation, statewide cost allocation, and a base reduction of approximately 5% for most agencies.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding requirements for open public meetings to permit recording of such meetings.

RS33699 / H0894 THIS Legislation amends Idaho Code Section 74-203, to revise provisions regarding requirements for open public meetings. The bill adds a section to current law that no person attending the open meeting shall be prevented or prohibited from recording such meetings by audio, video, photographs by electronic, digital or other means. The governing body may take measures, however, to ensure the orderly conduct of its meetings. This section exempts any executive session, meetings or hearings in a facility operated by the Idaho Department of Corrections, Idaho Department of juvenile corrections; or meetings or hearings conducted by the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole.

Relates to the maintenance appropriation to Natural Resources for fiscal year 2027.

This is the FY 2027 Maintenance Appropriation for Natural Resources. This bill includes appropriations to the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Fish and Game, the Board of Land Commissioners, the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Water Resources. The appropriation includes standard adjustments for personnel benefit costs, statewide cost allocation, and a base reduction of up to 5%.

Relates to the maintenance appropriation to the Legislative Branch for fiscal year 2027.

RS33519 / H0848 This is the FY 2027 Maintenance Appropriation for the Legislative Branch. This bill includes appropriations to Legislative Services Office and the Office of Performance Evaluations. The appropriation includes standard adjustments for personnel benefit costs, contract inflation, statewide cost allocation, and a base reduction of up to 5%.

States findings of the Legislature and supports retention of public lands in Idaho.

This Joint Memorial recognizes the importance of Idaho's public lands with its unique and varied landscapes. It acknowledges that access to those public lands is the cornerstone of Idaho's identity and essential to our way of life. Selling or transferring public lands would jeopardize that access and tradition, while placing unpredictable financial burdens on local and state governments, and Idaho taxpayers. This Joint Memorial encourages Idaho's congressional delegation to continue its efforts to oppose any attempts to sell or transfer Idaho's public lands and to introduce or co-sponsor legislation such as the Public Lands in Public Hands Act.

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law to merge the Office of Species Conservation and the Office of Energy and Mineral Resources.

This legislation provides for the merging of the Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources with the Office of Species Conservation. A merged office will leverage administrative capacity and reduce bureaucratic redundancy.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding leaves of absence from regular duties for military duty.

This bill proposes revising provisions regarding leave for military personnel. The revisions proposed would conform with the recent changes from the office of personnel management’s pay administration guidance for similarly situated federal employees, changing the existing hours of leave in Idaho from 120 to 160 hours and removing the current contradicting terminology. The revisions proposed support military personnel by extending additional leave hours in support of their service.

Relates to the appropriation to the Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination and the Idaho State Historical Society for fiscal year 2027.

RS33846 / H0965 This appropriation bill trails H898 of 2026, which added the State Historic Preservation Office to the Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination. This bill removes the appropriation for the State Historic Preservation Office from the Idaho State Historical Society and adds the same amount to the budget of the Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the Public School Digital Content and Curriculum Fund.

Historically, digital curriculum funding to local public-school districts has been on a "first come, first serve" basis. This legislation provides funding for LEA's based on need.

Amends existing law to integrate IDAPA 02.01.05 into Idaho Code.

This legislation would amend Title 22, Chapter 1, Idaho Code, to incorporate certain language related to Certificates of Free Sale. The amendment will move language from a current administrative rule to statute, which means the regulated community will be able to find all requirements related to this matter in a single location in Idaho Code.

Amends existing law to revise the definition of “sexual contact.”

This legislation amends section 18-6110 Idaho code to reflect a clearer definition of sexual contact with an inmate.

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law to revise provisions regarding the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.

This legislation establishes a unified, Division wide disciplinary framework for all boards, commissions, committees, and programs administered by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses. By consolidating duplicative and inconsistent disciplinary provisions currently scattered across numerous practice acts, the bill creates a single procedural section that standardizes how complaints are processed, how investigations are conducted, what due process protections apply, and how sanctions are imposed. While substantive grounds for discipline will continue to be defined in each profession’s governing statute or standards of practice, this new framework ensures consistency in enforcement processes across all licensed professions regulated by the Division. The proposal preserves and clarifies key enforcement tools such as subpoenas, injunctions, license suspensions, administrative fines, and confidential informal resolutions while ensuring they are applied consistently. It also affirms DOPL’s jurisdiction over expired licenses, permits action against licensees who fail to cooperate with investigations, and provides mechanisms for referring serious violations for criminal prosecution. Complaint intake and file management procedures are formalized to improve transparency, accuracy, and administrative efficiency. All formal discipline will continue to proceed under the contested case provisions of the Idaho Administrative Procedure Act, ensuring due process rights are maintained.

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding property rights protection.

This legislation codifies historic 4th Amendment protections against government employee entry into privately owned lands except under certain circumstances. The legislation does not increase or decrease the protections related to a place of habitation, or the associated curtilage.

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding slow moving vehicles.

This legislation clarifies operators of slow-moving vehicles, construction equipment, and farm equipment need to turn off the road only when a safe or size appropriate exit location becomes available.

States findings of the Legislature and calls on Congress to pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

This memorial affirms the Idaho Legislature's commitment to the principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and accountability to the people in light of the nation's persistent deficit spending and a national debt exceeding $38 trillion. Recognizing that long-term fiscal instability threatens future generations of Americans, the Legislature calls on the Idaho federal delegation to lead and for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority under Article V to propose a Balanced Budget Amendment through the established and time-tested amendment process initiated by Congress and ratified by the states.

States findings of the Legislature and establishes an interim committee to study the crime of sextortion and to make recommendations to the Legislature.

The proposed concurrent resolution would establish a legislative interim committee to study the crime of sextortion, its impact on victims, and strategies for prevention and response. The interim committee would examine how sextortion is carried out, its effects, particularly on minors, and review existing statutes to determine whether changes are needed to protect our youth. The Legislative Council would determine the interim committee's membership, including legislators from both parties and representatives from relevant agencies such as the Attorney General’s Office, the Idaho Department of Education, and the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline. The interim committee would also be authorized to gather input from stakeholders and affected individuals and would report its findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the First Regular Session of the Sixty-ninth Idaho Legislature.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding irrigation district hearings.

Landowners may petition to be excluded from an irrigation district. Such petitions are reviewed by the board of directors, which will determine whether to grant the exclusion request. This amendment provides clear timelines for an irrigation district’s review and response to petitions for exclusion.

Amends existing law to revise the name of a fund and to revise a definition.

This bill modernizes outdated language and ensures that recipients of royalties from federal lands have the flexibility to request appropriations and use these funds to advance energy policies that reflect Idaho’s values. It also authorizes the Idaho Legislature to allocate additional resources to this fund to further the state’s energy policy objectives.

States findings of the Legislature and honors fallen firefighters Frank Harwood and John Morrison Jr. and critically injured engineer David Tysdal.

This resolution honors Battalion Chiefs Frank Harwood and John Morrison Jr., of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and the Coeur d’Alene Fire department, who were killed in a senseless act of violence in 2025, and Engineer David Tysdal, of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, who was critically injured during the same incident. The resolution honors the tireless work and dedication of these firefighters, and affirms the support of the community and the state of Idaho in honoring their contributions to serving and protecting Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County.

States findings of the Legislature and supports increasing water storage in the state.

This joint memorial recognizes that Idaho faces ongoing water shortages due to declining aquifer levels, reduced snowpack, earlier runoff, and insufficient reservoir capacity. It states the Legislature’s commitment to a long-term goal of creating 750,000 acre-feet of new water storage by the year 2100 (“750k by 2100”). The memorial urges Congress and federal agencies to partner with Idaho to fast-track feasibility studies for modest reservoir raises, support planning for new storage projects, explore creative financing options, and complete an updated basin study to identify priority projects. This memorial communicates Idaho’s policy position and long-term vision for improving water security and storage capacity.

Amends existing law to provide for human-powered vehicles, bicycles, and electric-assisted bicycles.

This proposed legislation is designed to promote safety on our roads. Idaho Code § 49-615 requires motor vehicle drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with bicyclists. A recent court ruling found that drivers do not have a duty to avoid colliding with operators of electric assisted bicycles; this legislation would clarify that they do. Additionally, proposed changes to Idaho Code § 49-714 would make clear that operators of electric assisted bicycles must also follow traffic laws and that they have the same duties that motor vehicle operators have.