Idaho Bills

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding consumer protection of veterans benefits.

This legislation establishes Idaho specific consumer protection standards for paid assistance provided to veterans seeking help preparing claims for federal veterans’ benefits. The legislation protects veterans from deceptive or predatory practices while preserving their right to choose how they seek assistance. It sets uniform definitions, disclosure requirements, and conduct standards for non-accredited individuals or entities offering paid claims preparation services. Upfront fees are prohibited, compensation must be contingent on a successful outcome, and fees are limited to a reasonable, one-time amount. The legislation requires disclosure of free assistance options, written consent from the veteran, and protection of personal, financial, and health information. It prohibits misleading advertising, guarantees of benefit outcomes, direct solicitation of veterans, use of overseas call centers, and the use of medical professionals to influence claims outcomes. Overall, this legislation promotes transparency and accountability while aligning Idaho consumer protection standards with emerging federal reforms.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Health and Welfare and the Judicial Branch for fiscal year 2027.

RS33845 / S1446 This bill restores Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and peer support services for the remainder of FY 2026 and for FY 2027 through the following three funding sources: personnel and other internal savings in the Department of Health and Welfare FY 2026 appropriation, the Millennium Income Fund, and the State-Directed Opioid Settlement Fund. In addition, this bill restores peer support services for mental health courts for FY 2027. ACT and peer support services are restored in FY 2026 through an exemption from program transfer limitations for behavioral health programs, which allows transfers into the Basic Medicaid Plan Program and the Adult Mental Health Program from other programs within the department for all moneys appropriated to it for the period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. This action authorizes the Department of Health and Welfare to utilize onetime salary savings and other internal savings to restart and support these services for the remainder of FY 2026. This bill appropriates $4,619,000 onetime from the Millennium Income Fund, $5,558,000 onetime from the State-Directed Opioid Settlement Fund, and $20,525,000 from federal match funds to support ACT and peer support services in FY 2027. The total funds appropriated to the Department of Health and Welfare for this purpose is $30,702,000. Also included in this bill is a $250,000 onetime appropriation from the State-Directed Opioid Settlement Fund to the Judicial Branch in the Court Operations Division to provide peer support services for mental health courts for FY 2027. Section 4 of the bill directs the use of the State-Directed Opioid Settlement Fund to include Assertive Community Treatment and peer support services for FY 2027.

Amends and repeals existing law to remove provisions regarding sobriety and drug monitoring programs.

This legislation repeals an obsolete statutory program in the office of the attorney general. The legislature created a sobriety and drug monitoring program within the office of the attorney general in 2014. The program was to be administered by the attorney general’s office with counties choosing whether to participate. The original legislation provided no additional resources for the attorney general to operate the program. Today, twelve years later, the attorney general’s office can find no records indicating the program was ever fully implemented or that any county ever opted in to the program.

Adds to existing law to establish the Conversational AI Safety Act.

The purpose of this legislation is to establish safety standards for conversational artificial intelligence services, defined here as AI applications designed primarily to simulate human conversation. It requires operators to adopt protocols for responding to both adult and minor users. Where an operator has actual knowledge or reasonable certainty that a user is a minor, the bill mandates a persistent disclaimer of AI interaction. It also prohibits "gamification" intended to encourage excessive engagement and requires measures to prevent sexually explicit content. The bill also requires an operator to provide parental supervision tools.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding certain rate-regulated electric companies and gas companies.

This legislation refines the changes made in HB329 from the 2025 legislation session. It modifies the reporting and payment schedules of rate-regulated utilities affected by HB329 to match historical periods.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the sale of cigars.

This legislation allows for an entrepreneur to create a business that provides a mobile cigar service for events. This type of business was not anticipated when the tobacco permitting statutes were originally written. Therefore, the department cannot currently issue a permit for this potential business.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding public school building plan reviews.

This legislation streamlines the permitting process for school facilities by eliminating the requirement that school districts obtain plan approval before advertising for bids and by requiring permitting authorities to complete an initial plan review within 30 days of submission for all public works projects.

Repeals existing law to remove obsolete provisions relating to reports of medical authorities establishing blindness.

To ensure that state laws are streamlined, up-to-date, and essential for the citizens of Idaho, while best serving the public health, safety, and welfare, the Legislature approved the Idaho Code Cleanup Act, H0014 in the 2025 legislative session. Submitted sections of the Idaho Code were reviewed for repeal consideration by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force on the criteria of obsolete, outdated, and unnecessary. This bill repeals Section 67-5414, Idaho Code, that relates to reports from medical authorities diagnosing blindness. The Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired reports that this process is no longer how the majority of referrals are received and is therefore unnecessary.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding career technical education certificates.

This legislation seeks to improve the recruitment and retention of industry professionals within Career Technical Education (CTE) programs by setting a reasonable threshold of experience required when a professional is seeking a certificate to teach a specific CTE context area. By eliminating the minimum hours of professional experience required, this legislation allows the State Board of Career Technical Education to establish minimum requirements for CTE programs by specific content area, rather than a blanket requirement for all programs. This will further allow the board to engage with industry stakeholders to adjust the requirements to be responsive to industry demand and needs. Finally, because minimum professional experience currently exists in both statute and administrative rules, eliminating those requirements in statue will prevent further confusion as to how the requirements are meant to work together. Moving forward, the board will promulgate rules for requirements by content area, which will then be reviewed and approve by the Legislature.

Amends existing law to establish provisions regarding visitation and termination of parental rights.

This legislation updates Idaho’s child protection statutes to clarify the application of existing provisions when a child is in the custody of the state. Specifically, the bill clarifies that mandatory in-person visitation is not required when sexual or physical abuse has been substantiated. Additionally, it clarifies existing provisions that allow a court to consider termination of parental rights when the Department of Health and Welfare initiates proceedings.

Amends existing law to provide for a retired member who is appointed to an elective public office.

Under current law, an individual who is receiving an unreduced retirement benefit pursuant to Idaho Code § 59-1346 and who has been retired for more than six months may again become employed as a result of being elected to a public office—other than an office held prior to retirement—while continuing to receive a Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) retirement benefit. During such employment, the individual does not accrue additional service credit, and no employee or employer contributions are made. This legislation expands that provision to include individuals who are appointed to an elected office, allowing them to continue receiving a PERSI retirement benefit under the same conditions, as if they were elected to the office. Individuals appointed to an elected office are required to run for that office at the next general election. As a result, the maximum duration this provision could apply to an appointed individual is approximately two years. If the individual is elected, they may continue to receive the PERSI benefit as allowed under current law. If the individual is not elected or chooses not to run, the provision would no longer apply. It is anticipated that this change would affect one to two individuals per year.

Relates to the appropriation for the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired for fiscal year 2027.

RS33548 / H0869 This appropriation to the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides enhancements to the FY 2027 maintenance budget that includes additional appropriation for client services and partial rescission restoration by shifting appropriation to dedicated funds.

Amends Senate Bill No. 1326 to provide for scope and applicability.

RS33712 / S1391 This legislation is a trailer bill to S1326a.This legislation restores the ability for a publicly employed land surveyor to enter private land for surveying activities. It also restores the requirement to provide a notice of survey to the property owner or occupant.

Amends existing law to establish provisions regarding hearing notices and to revise a provision regarding procedure at a hearing.

Idaho’s Administrative Procedure Act, which governs the conduct of contested cases before Idaho’s administrative agencies, is largely based upon the 1961 Model State Administrative Procedure Act (“MSAPA”), with selected updates and Idaho-specific modifications since it was initially codified in 1992. Modern practice, and related developments in administrative law, led to a number of updates adopted into law via House Bill 9a from the 2025 Session. This bill furthers that work by adding language regarding notice requirements when an agency issues an order.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding qualified pre-tax contributions and investment earnings and certain qualified Roth contributions and investment earnings.

This legislation amends Idaho Code §59-1308(9) to replace “after-tax contributions” with “Roth contributions and investment earnings” to align with IRS regulations regarding the type of after-tax contributions referred to in this section. It also adds references to IRS code sections 401(a) and 402A to complement existing reference to 401(k). Additionally, it adds “as now in effect and as hereafter amended” to maintain reference to IRS code if future amendments to IRS code occur.