H 81 limits liability for recreation clubs and their members in Idaho when participants are injured during unpaid activities. It shields clubs and members from lawsuits for injuries during activities like hiking, fishing, or camping - unless the club provided faulty equipment, acted with gross negligence, or intentionally caused harm. Participants assume all inherent risks of these unpaid activities, and clubs owe no duty to make activities safe. The law explicitly excludes liability for participants who waive negligence claims in writing. This applies to all unpaid recreation clubs organized under Idaho law, effective July 2025.
H 419 appropriates $30.9 million to Idaho's Department of Parks and Recreation for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026), funding personnel, operations, capital projects, and benefit payments. It reduces funding for the Management Services Program (e.g., cutting $840,200 from the Parks and Recreation Fund) while authorizing 5 additional full-time positions. The bill also allows transferring trustee/benefit payments between programs (e.g., Park Operations to Capital Development) without legislative approval and declares an emergency to take effect July 1, 2025. This directly affects park operations, facility maintenance, and staffing within the department.
Idaho's H 239 requires public schools to obtain written parental permission before offering any instruction addressing "human sexuality" as broadly defined in the bill - including topics like sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender ideology. Schools must notify parents 14 days in advance, describe the content, and provide materials for review; parents must submit written permission within one week for their child to attend such instruction. If permission is not received, schools must provide alternative instruction that meets graduation requirements but avoids the specified topics. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to all Idaho public school students and their parents or guardians.
H 282 revises Idaho's homestead property laws to clarify how married couples can claim homestead exemptions. It prevents married couples from claiming the same property separately to increase the total homestead value beyond the limit set in Idaho Code §55-1003, ensuring each spouse can only claim their own exemption up to that amount. Unmarried homeowners remain able to claim any property as homestead. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and directly affects married property owners in Idaho seeking homestead protection.
This bill appropriates $3.64 million from state funds to the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) for fiscal year 2026 (July 2025-June 2026). It specifically allocates $3 million for retirement administration operations and $615,600 for capital expenses, plus $25,400 for portfolio investments. The funding supports the system’s day-to-day management and investment activities, directly affecting Idaho state employees covered by PERS. The bill became effective July 1, 2025, after being signed into law.
H 171 revises Idaho's rules for county and city-based intermodal commerce authorities, which manage transportation hubs like rail and truck terminals. The bill clarifies their authority to acquire land, facilities, and tax-exempt public property (like warehouses and utility infrastructure), while adding a new requirement: any resolution authorizing revenue bonds must be published in a local newspaper, with a 30-day window for legal challenges to the bond issuance. This directly affects counties and cities establishing these authorities, streamlining bond processes but requiring transparency. The changes take effect July 1, 2025, and include technical updates to existing law.
Idaho's H 321 establishes a new, streamlined process for residential property owners to remove unauthorized occupants without court involvement. It allows owners or their agents to request sheriff-led removal if occupants entered unlawfully, weren't tenants or family members, and the owner previously demanded they leave. The bill also creates two new crimes: making false statements to detain property and fraudulent sale/lease of residential property. Owners must submit a verified complaint with specific details, and sheriffs must serve a "notice to vacate" immediately. Owners can be held liable for false claims through civil lawsuits, ensuring accountability.
Idaho's H 240, the "Protecting Campus Free Speech in Higher Education Act," requires public colleges and universities to protect student speech by banning restricted "free speech zones" and prohibiting schools from charging security fees based on the content of student expression or invited speakers. The law mandates clear harassment policies that don't restrict protected speech, requires free speech education for students through campus handbooks and orientations, and demands annual reports on campus speech policies. It directly affects all public institutions of higher education in Idaho receiving state funds, ensuring students and student groups can peacefully assemble, distribute literature, and express views without content-based restrictions. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.
Idaho's H 222 requires all state departments (including divisions, bureaus, and constitutional officers) with websites to publish their administrative rules and policies online. These websites must include a specific statement clarifying that agency policy documents "shall not have the force and effect of law." Departments must review and update this content annually to ensure accuracy. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to all covered state entities maintaining websites.
This Idaho bill (H 249) appropriates $76.0 million for fiscal year 2026 to fund the operational budgets of six constitutional offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Controller, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer. It specifies exact funding amounts for each office’s personnel, operating expenses, and benefit payments, while limiting authorized full-time equivalent positions (e.g., Attorney General’s office capped at 227.4 FTEs). The bill also exempts certain offices (Governor, Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor) from standard budget transfer restrictions and includes provisions for fund reallocation. As a funding measure, it directly affects these offices’ budget planning and staffing for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
This Idaho bill (H 336) revises child support enforcement laws to improve collection and streamline processes. It establishes automatic liens on property for overdue payments exceeding $2,000 or 90 days, requires notifying credit bureaus about significant arrears (over $2,000 for 3+ months), and clarifies income withholding procedures for employers. The bill directly affects non-custodial parents who owe support, custodial parents receiving payments, and state agencies like the Department of Health and Welfare. Key changes include updated fee structures for collection services, simplified judicial processes for enforcement, and new provisions for medical support enforcement and order modifications.
This bill increases the annual salary for Idaho Supreme Court justices to $186,508, effective July 1, 2025. It maintains the existing pay structure where Court of Appeals judges earn $8,000 less than Supreme Court justices, district judges earn $6,000 less than Court of Appeals judges, and magistrate judges earn $8,000 less than district judges. The bill also includes a requirement that judges must swear they have no unresolved cases before receiving salary payments. The changes were signed into law by the Governor and take effect on July 1, 2025.
