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H 516 Idaho House · 68th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session (2026)

EDUCATION – Amends and adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding the prohibition of taxpayer funding of teachers unions.

This Idaho bill (H 516) prohibits public school staff from providing classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through grade 12. It requires schools to adopt policies banning such instruction unless it is age-appropriate and developmentally suitable per state standards. The law directly affects Idaho public schools and their curriculum decisions for all K-12 students. Key mechanisms include mandating school policies that prevent classroom lessons on these topics, while allowing age-appropriate discussions that align with educational standards. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.
Issues: ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill explicitly prohibits K-12 classroom instruction on sexual orientation/gender identity, restricting curriculum content per Idaho law.95% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Signed Apr 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Text → Engrossment 1 · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to shift its focus from broad parental rights and student safety to school district negotiation agreements and union funding restrictions. The most significant change is the addition of a new section prohibiting taxpayer funding for teachers' unions and their affiliates, while also redefining who qualifies as a 'professional employee' for negotiation purposes.
Scope change
The bill's scope changed from a general parental rights and student safety statute to a specific labor relations and union funding statute.
SCOPE

The bill's title and summary were changed to remove references to parental rights, student records, and sexual orientation/gender identity instruction, replacing them with references to school district negotiations and union funding prohibitions.

FISCAL

A new section was added to explicitly prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to support teachers' unions or their affiliated organizations.

DEFINITION

New definitions were created for 'affiliate,' 'professional employee,' 'local education organization,' and 'representational activities' to clarify the entities involved in union negotiations.

ELIGIBILITY

The criteria for establishing a teachers' union's representative status were updated to require evidence that the organization represents fifty percent plus one of professional employees, with specific rules on how to count those employees.

REQUIREMENT

Provisions regarding parental access to student records, notification of health issues, restrictions on instruction about sexual orientation/gender identity, and parental consent for student surveys were removed.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 1, 2026 · House Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

20–15
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 36
Apr 1, 2026
D Democratic6
6 Nay
100% Nay
R Republican30
20 Yea 9 Nay 1
66% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
29
Key actions
10
Committee
5
Amendments
3
Apr 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President; returned to House
upper
Apr 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
upper
Apr 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
lower
Apr 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED - 43-24-3AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon(Cannon), Cayler, Cheatum, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Furniss, Hall(Stone), Harris, Hawkins, Healey, Hill(Hill), Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Mendive, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Palmer, Pickett, Price, Rasor, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts(Batt), Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Wisniewski, Mr. SpeakerNAYS – Berch, Bingham, Church, Egbert(Beazer), Erickson,
lower
Apr 2, 2026
Committee
Bills as Amended Referred to JRA for Engrossing
lower
Apr 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Concurred in Senate Amendments
lower
Apr 2, 2026
Introduced
Returned from the Senate Amended; Held at Desk
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time as amended in the Senate – PASSED - 20-14-1AYES – Adams, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Carlson, Den Hartog, Galloway, Grow, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Ricks, Shippy, Toews, Zito, ZuiderveldNAYS – Anthon, Burtenshaw, Cook, Guthrie, Harris, Lent, Rabe, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Taylor, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, WoodwardAbsent and excused – ForemanFloor Sponsor - LenneyTitle apvd - to House
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Introduced
Amendments reported printed
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Introduced
Amendments ordered printed
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Placed in the Committee of the Whole
upper
Mar 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported out of committee; to 14th Order for amendment
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, read first time; referred to: Education
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 59-10-1AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Garner, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman(Zaken), Sauter, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Ska
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Committee
Reported Printed and Referred to Education
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.