Idaho Bills

This bill extends Idaho's Child Tax Credit indefinitely by amending state tax law to allow a $205 credit for each qualifying child for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. The credit applies only to Idaho residents and follows existing rules about which parent can claim the credit based on custody arrangements. By declaring an emergency, the bill makes the extension effective immediately upon passage and retroactive to January 1, 2026.

This bill establishes a new lifetime hunting and fishing license program in Idaho for residents who have lived in the state for at least five years. The program creates three age-based pricing tiers: children aged one to five pay 25 times the current annual license fee, those aged six to 50 pay 35 times, and residents aged 51 and older pay 20 times the standard fee. All funds collected from these lifetime licenses must be deposited into the state's fish and game trust fund to support wildlife conservation efforts. The bill authorizes the Fish and Game Commission to create rules for administering the program and takes effect on July 1, 2026.

This bill requires individuals who are paid to gather signatures on initiative or referendum petitions to verbally inform potential signers they are receiving payment and to display a badge identifying them as paid petition circulators. It also mandates that petitions include a clear printed statement disclosing the payment arrangement and the name of the paying entity, and it updates the affidavit forms to include this disclosure information. Additionally, the bill defines paid in-person canvassing activities to include various forms of direct voter contact and requires similar disclosures for these activities. These changes apply to anyone accepting payment to circulate petitions or engage in in-person voter outreach in Idaho.

This bill updates Idaho state procurement rules to allow agencies to join cooperative purchasing groups, sponsor joint buying agreements with other public agencies, or use existing contracts from other state agencies when they meet competitive bidding standards. The legislation requires these arrangements to be documented in written agreements and ensures participation fees are applied fairly across all members of any purchasing organization. It also permits contract modifications if the state administrator determines they serve the state's best interests, while maintaining records of these agreements with relevant state divisions. The bill aims to reduce administrative burdens and potentially lower costs by streamlining how the state acquires goods and services through shared purchasing power.

This bill creates two main requirements for Idaho: it mandates annual audits of refugee resettlement services by state-registered organizations, requiring detailed reports on refugee demographics, housing, and health statistics, while also prohibiting these organizations from assisting illegal aliens. Additionally, it requires all law enforcement agencies to verify and record the immigration status and nationality of every arrested individual, with biannual reports filed to the state controller containing crime statistics and transfer information to federal authorities. The bill applies to entities providing refugee services and all state and local law enforcement agencies, with enforcement mechanisms including potential withholding of state funding for noncompliance.

This bill classifies Norway rats, roof rats, and any wild, uncontrolled rats as invasive species in Idaho, which directly affects local governments and property owners. The law empowers counties, cities, and municipalities to take reasonable steps to control and remove these rats from public property and from private property after obtaining written permission from the owner. By designating these rats as invasive species, the bill activates existing state laws that allow for coordinated management and removal efforts, with an emergency clause ensuring immediate implementation upon passage.

This bill appropriates funding for the Idaho Transportation Department for fiscal year 2027, covering personnel costs, operating expenses, and capital projects across transportation services, motor vehicle programs, and highway operations. It authorizes the department to use unspent funds from the previous fiscal year for specific purposes like airport development grants, construction contracts, and right-of-way acquisitions, with a reappropriation limit of $300 million for construction and acquisition activities. The legislation also allows for corrections of accounting errors from prior years and sets an effective date of July 1, 2026, when the funding becomes available for use.

This bill allocates funding to the Idaho Department of Lands for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, directing specific amounts to support personnel costs, capital projects, and trustee benefit payments across various programs including business services, forest resources, trust land management, fire protection, and minerals. The legislation provides $2.7 million for fiscal year 2027 and $285,000 for fiscal year 2026, while simultaneously reducing certain appropriations from previous budgets to balance the overall funding. It designates $145,000 specifically for the Idaho Geological Survey and allows the Forest and Range Fire Protection Program to receive unlimited transfers from other departmental funds for both fiscal years. Additionally, the bill limits General Fund bonuses to firefighters with incident qualification cards and requires a report on 2026 fire season bonus awards to be submitted by January 5, 2027.

This bill establishes procedures for carrying out executions in Idaho by specifying that the methods and protocols used will not be subject to certain state laws. It creates a system where the director of the Department of Correction determines the execution method, prioritizing lethal injection if available but allowing for a firing squad as an alternative. The legislation also grants exemptions from medical practice laws, protects participants from civil and criminal liability, and keeps the identities of those involved in executions confidential. These provisions apply to all future executions regardless of when the death sentence was originally imposed.

This Idaho bill establishes a comprehensive campaign finance transparency framework that applies to candidates, political action committees, political party committees, and electioneering communications. The legislation requires detailed reporting of all contributions and expenditures, mandates the appointment of political treasurers to oversee campaign finances, and prohibits foreign contributions and independent expenditures. It also mandates that polls funded by others must disclose their payers and requires disclosure of payments made to signature gatherers. The bill creates new administrative duties for the Secretary of State and county clerks while establishing civil penalties and enforcement mechanisms for violations.

This bill (H 670) creates a new process for fire protection and ambulance service districts to withdraw from urban renewal revenue-sharing plans. It allows these districts to opt out if the urban renewal plan has no outstanding debts (bonds or obligations) funded by their allocated revenue. To withdraw, districts must request a revenue accounting by May 1 and adopt a withdrawal resolution by June 1, submitting it to the urban renewal agency. The bill amends Idaho law to formalize this withdrawal procedure, affecting districts that previously could not easily exit such financing arrangements.

Idaho's H 648 requires health benefit plans covering FDA-approved anticancer medications to treat oral and injected drugs equally for cost-sharing (like copays and deductibles) starting January 1, 2027. This directly affects health insurance plans sold in Idaho that cover anticancer medications, ensuring patients pay the same out-of-pocket costs regardless of whether their medication is taken orally or administered via injection. The bill does not prevent insurers from using formularies, prior authorization, or other standard coverage controls. It specifically applies to medications approved by the FDA for cancer treatment, with the law taking effect July 1, 2026, for implementation.