Idaho Bills

Relates to the maintenance appropriation to Economic Development for fiscal year 2027.

This is the FY 2027 Maintenance Appropriation for Economic Development. This bill includes appropriations to the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, the Department of Finance, the Idaho Industrial Commission, the Department of Insurance, the Department of Labor, the Public Utilities Commission, the Self-Governing Agencies, and the Idaho Transportation Department. The appropriation includes standard adjustments for personnel benefit costs, contract inflation, statewide cost allocation, and a General Fund base reduction of up to 9%.

Relates to the appropriation to the Idaho State Police for fiscal year 2027.

RS33703 / S1409 This appropriation to the Idaho State Police provides enhancements to the FY 2027 maintenance budget that includes a Commercial Vehicle Safety Grant, Mobile Livescan Program, and replacement items, which include patrol vehicles and associated upfitting expenses, other law enforcement vehicles, ballistic vests, computer equipment, training building jail cell door replacement, desk chairs, and video cameras.

Amends existing law to provide for cancellation or discharge of an encumbrance by an Idaho vehicle dealer and to allow electronic motor vehicle records as evidence of ownership.

This legislation updates Idaho’s vehicle titling statutes to modernize title processing and improve efficiency in lien administration. The bill authorizes the Idaho Transportation Department to accept and treat electronically submitted documents as equivalent to original paper records. The bill also clarifies procedures for lien cancellation and discharge, including requirements for lienholders holding electronic titles to transmit electronic transactions directing issuance of a clear paper title. In addition, the bill establishes expedited timelines for Idaho-licensed vehicle dealers to receive lien releases upon payment with verified funds. These changes are intended to reduce paperwork, improve turnaround times for title issuance and lien releases, enhance customer service for vehicle owners and dealers, and support continued modernization of Idaho’s motor vehicle records system.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the allocation of certain tax revenue.

This legislation amends Idaho Code to revise provisions related to the distribution of wind and geothermal energy tax revenues in local taxing districts. Current law ties portions of the distribution formula to the existence of supplemental levies, which has created an incentive for school districts to consider passing supplemental levies on property tax payers in order to receive a share of these tax revenues. This bill updates the calculation method so that, if a school district does not impose a supplemental levy, the county levy rate will be used solely for purposes of distributing wind and geothermal energy tax revenue. This change removes the incentive to adopt supplemental levies for distribution purposes and ensures the distribution formula does not encourage additional property tax levies. This legislation does not affect solar energy tax provisions.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding controlled substances.

This legislation updates the Idaho Controlled Substances Act to align with recent federal scheduling actions taken by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and corrects spelling, numbering, and other drafting errors that have been perpetuated through prior versions of the Act. It updates Article II by adding illicit substances with no approved medical use to Schedule I, incorporating newly scheduled and other federally controlled substances into Schedules II, III, and IV, and removing outdated or duplicative entries, including unnecessary and cumbersome chemical formulas. In addition to updating the schedules, the bill amends Article III by revising requirements for controlled substance registrations and access to the prescription drug monitoring program. It also includes technical cleanup revisions to simplify statutory language, eliminate redundancy, and ensure the Act remains accurate, legally consistent, and responsive to evolving public health and law enforcement priorities. These updates provide greater clarity and utility for law enforcement, prosecutors, healthcare providers, and regulatory agencies responsible for the lawful handling, prescribing, and enforcement of controlled substances in the state.

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding certain out-of-pocket payments for health care services.

RS33754 / H0929 This bill amends Idaho Code to add section 41-1854, prohibiting health carriers from preventing providers from offering discounted cash prices to insured individuals for health care services. It allows covered people to pay out-of-pocket at negotiated rates lower than the plan's average allowed amount, with such payments counting toward deductibles and annual out-of-pocket maximums upon submission of required documentation. Providers must accept cash payments as full settlement. Exemptions apply to specified plans like dental-only, Medicaid, and short-term insurance. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends and repeals existing law to provide for the consolidation of the Idaho STEM Action Center into the Workforce Development Council.

This legislation consolidates the Idaho STEM Action Center into the Idaho Workforce Development Council, integrating its functions, programs and staff to enhance the Council’s existing purpose. This consolidation will streamline operations, reduce administrative overlap, and more closely align STEM education and outreach with Idaho’s workforce development strategies.

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law regarding the procurement of property by the State of Idaho.

RS33650 / H0889 This legislation clarifies the state procurement processes for purchases made under the Idaho State Procurement Act and through the Division of Purchasing. Changes include: 1) Definitions for “best and final offer,” “frivolous protest,” “multiple award,” “request for information,” “request for proposal,” and “request for quote;” 2) Establishes that the administrator shall set a date and time for best and final offers, including a provision that treats the immediate offer as best and final; 3) Requires the administrator to work with subject matter experts in the requesting agency to ensure contractual terms meet functional and operational requirements; 4) Allows for a multiple-award contract; 5) Establishes that the bid analysis or scoring must be published with the notice of solicitation and only changed with a formal solicitation amendment or best and final offer process, so long as it doesn’t materially change the intent or purpose of the original solicitation; 6) Prior performance on state contracts may now be used to determine a bid’s qualification; 7) Any contracts requiring federal funding must be finalized between the state and the vendor prior to submission for approval to avoid unnecessary delays; 8) Technical information provided by vendors remains confidential unless the vendor participates in the relevant solicitation; 9) The addition of a vendor debarment process, which may prevent a vendor from bidding on state projects or services for up to three years; 10) Employment “cooling off” period for elected officials and individuals who worked for the state prior to working with vendors; 11) The addition of a protest bond for vendors who pursue a protest of a bid award; and 12) Vendors, employees of vendors, or any person working on their behalf must report financial expenditures over $50 related to procurement.

Amends existing law to authorize liquor licensure for a distillery in certain instances.

The purpose of this legislation is to authorize a distillery the ability to sell liquor by the drink explicitly from the brands that it owns.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding gold and silver coin and specie.

This legislation declares gold and silver coin shall be legal tender in the State of Idaho. No person or entity may compel another person or entity to tender or accept gold or silver coin unless agreed upon both parties.

Amends and adds to existing law to provide for the Idaho Direct to Consumer Commerce Act.

This legislation reduces government regulation concerning the sale of homemade food and non-alcoholic drink products direct to consumers within the state of Idaho. It also reduces regulation by expanding the state custom meat exemption to be any portion size other than wholes, halves, or quarters. The provisions of this legislation apply to small scale individuals and businesses and not larger scale commercial food manufacturing and those involved in interstate commerce. The legislation provides reasonable basic requirements and consumer disclosures to ensure safety while promoting transparency, consumer choice, and access to locally produced food.

Adds to existing law to provide for safety checks for children under one year of age.

Newborns and infants are completely dependent on their caretakers. It is the intent of the legislature to protect them against abuse and neglect. The purpose of this bill is to direct the Department of Health and Welfare to investigate and verify any report regarding a caretaker of a newborn who has one of the listed risk factors in this bill within 12 hours. If the report can be verified, this bill directs the Department to set the case to Priority 1 and complete a safety assessment regarding the child's living conditions as well as an assessment of the caretaker's stability.

Adds to existing law to provide for school district and public charter school earned autonomy regarding spending.

RS33652C1 / H0883 This bill grants high-performing public charter schools and districts greater flexibility in the use of state funds while reducing unnecessary reporting requirements to the state.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Fish and Game for fiscal year 2027.

RS33844 / H0964 This appropriation to the Department of Fish and Game enhancements to the FY 2027 maintenance budget that includes funding for fisheries habitat projects; good neighbor authority projects; inflationary costs at fisheries; wolf depredation response; inflation at fisheries facilities; and IT hardware. This appropriation also includes language allowing for the reappropriation of dedicated and federal fund balances and directing the use of appropriation for wolf trapping.

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

RS33771 / S1416 This appropriation provides for the consolidation of the Office of Energy and Mineral Resources (OEMR) and the Office of Species Conservation (OSC) into the Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination, pursuant to H737. Additionally, this bill provides enhancements to the new office that include an FTP/Fund Realignment to align FTP and dedicated funds to where work is expected to be billed; funding for Idaho Orchestrating Nuclear, which provides the agency flexibility to support state level nuclear related projects; federal funding for fish habitat restoration and rehabilitation; and funding from the Miscellaneous Revenue Fund for Energy Resiliency Grants, which serves as a state match for federal energy resiliency programs.

Amends and adds to existing law to revise provisions regarding agreements by state agencies, to exempt certain records from disclosure, and to establish provisions regarding private insurance coverage and claims for state property.

RS33720 / H0900 This legislation establishes a process for the Department of Administration to follow for private insurance claims or damage involving state property exceeding $100,000, ensuring the state receives the maximum payout.