Idaho Bills

Relates to the appropriation to the Soil and Water Conservation Commission for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

RS33748 / S1405 This appropriation provides enhancements to the FY 2027 maintenance budgets for the Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Enhancements to the Soil and Water Conservation Commission include onetime funding from dedicated funds to supplemental supplement existing payments for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and onetime funding for unspent grant funding for the CREP and Water Quality Program for Agriculture (WQPA). This legislation also includes a FY 2026 supplemental appropriation to provide onetime funding from dedicated funds for existing payments for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). This supplemental supports anticipated costs for the current year. Finally, this bill moves the Soil and Water Conservation Commission from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Water Resources pursuant to House Bill 503 of 2026. Pursuant to Section 22-2718, Idaho Code, the Soil and Water Conservation Commission was established and created in the Department of Agriculture and was historically budgeted separately from the Department of Agriculture. House Bill 503 amended the code to move the commission under the Department of Water Resources. This move is accomplished by removing the entirety of the maintenance appropriation for the commission from the Department of Agriculture in section one of this bill and adding the appropriation to the Department of Water Resources in section two of this bill. The budget structure of the commission under the Department of Water Resources mirrors how it was previously structured under the Department of Agriculture, as it remains a distinctly budgeted division. DISCLAIMER: This statement of purpose and