Idaho Bills

H 398 replaces Idaho's outdated lobbying regulations with a new comprehensive framework. The bill establishes mandatory registration for lobbyists, requires regular reporting of activities and expenditures, and defines key terms like "lobbyist" and "state entity." It directly affects professional lobbyists, government officials, and state agencies interacting with them by imposing new transparency requirements. The law, effective July 1, 2025, removes obsolete sections while creating a single, updated chapter (Chapter 7 of Title 74) governing lobbying conduct and reporting.

Idaho's H 396 revises school transportation funding rules for public school districts. It establishes that state reimbursement covers 50% of most transportation costs (85% for maintenance/inspections), excludes non-essential vehicle features from reimbursement, and sets a 103% cap on district costs relative to statewide averages. The bill creates new requirements for authorized vehicles used to transport students, including safety standards and inspection rules, and adds a hardship exception for bus routes with low rider density, unpaved roads, or steep slopes. These changes directly affect school districts operating transportation services and aim to standardize funding and safety compliance for school vehicle operations.

This bill (S 1202) provides funding for Idaho's Office of the State Public Defender for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. It appropriates $33.58 million total for 2025-2026 ($10.02 million for personnel costs and $23.56 million for operating expenses), increases authorized full-time equivalent positions by 17.96, and reduces personnel funding by $1.2 million for 2025-2026. The bill directly affects public defenders who represent indigent defendants in criminal cases. It takes effect immediately for the 2024-2025 funding (Section 4) and on July 1, 2025, for the main provisions (Sections 1-3).

This bill appropriates $2.45 million from multiple funds to the Idaho State Department of Education for the Student Services Program during fiscal years 2025-2026. It authorizes one additional full-time position, requires monthly data sharing with the Legislative Services Office, and mandates reports on underperforming charter schools and building capacity projects by January 2026. The bill also enforces federal funding restrictions (preventing state funds from replacing lost federal grants without approval) and updates procurement rules to require competitive bidding reports for contracts over $25,000. These provisions directly affect the Department of Education, charter schools receiving state support, and state agencies managing education funds.

This bill appropriates $744,100 to the Idaho State Historical Society for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026), funding personnel, operating costs, and capital expenses. It also authorizes three additional full-time equivalent positions for the Society during the same period. The funding comes from the General Fund, Miscellaneous Revenue Fund, and Federal Grant Fund, with the bill becoming effective July 1, 2025. The bill directly affects the Idaho State Historical Society’s budget and staffing capacity for its operations.

This bill appropriates funding for the Idaho State Police for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, detailing specific allocations across personnel, operations, and capital expenses. It includes a $268,100 increase for Patrol program operating costs in FY2025, reduces overall funding by $8.18 million for FY2026, and cuts authorized staff positions by 7.67 full-time equivalents. The bill also requires the POST Council to report on academy funding models and training commitments. It affects Idaho State Police operations and peace officer training programs directly through its budgetary provisions.

This bill appropriates $20 million from the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation Fund to the Idaho Transportation Department for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026). It directly funds the Contract Construction and Right-of-Way Acquisition Program for capital projects like road improvements and land acquisition. The funds are earmarked specifically for infrastructure work during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. As a procedural appropriations bill, it provides necessary funding without altering policy or creating new regulations.

This bill appropriates $24.685 million for Idaho's Public Schools Educational Support Program's Division of Student Support for fiscal years 2025-2026, funding operations and children's programs. It reduces school program funding by $17.1979 million from the Public School Income Fund and transfers that exact amount to the General Fund. The bill also amends salary rules to increase minimum base pay for administrative staff starting July 1, 2025, and requires districts to pay national board-certified teachers an additional $2,000 annually. These changes directly affect Idaho public school districts and their funding allocations for student support services.

This bill appropriates $31.1 million from the General Fund to Idaho's Department of Water Resources for fiscal year 2026, covering personnel, operations, and capital costs. It allocates $30 million specifically for water infrastructure projects, prioritizing aquifer health, storage systems, water conservation, and emergency repairs. The bill also increases staff positions by four, transfers $716,000 for aquifer monitoring, and reallocates unspent ARPA funds for water projects, while clarifying how general fund appropriations count toward filing fees for water rights claims.

Idaho's H 481 reduces the funding for school facilities by $180,822,300 from the School District Facilities Fund for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026). This bill directly affects school districts that rely on this fund for facility maintenance and construction projects. The reduction is applied to amounts already counted as expended from the fund during the same period. Signed into law on April 4, 2025, the bill takes effect immediately on July 1, 2025, and is classified as an emergency measure.

This bill revises Idaho's tax code to allow military retirees and surviving spouses to deduct their military retirement pay from state taxable income, regardless of age or disability status. It sets the deduction limit at the maximum Social Security benefit amount for the tax year, adjusted for inflation, and clarifies how federal retirement benefits affect this deduction. The change directly affects Idaho military retirees, their families, and veterans receiving military retirement pay, ensuring they can reduce their state tax burden similarly to other retirement benefits. The policy update, effective retroactively from January 1, 2025, replaces previous age and disability restrictions.

This bill allocates $420,500 in state funds to Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare for the Foster and Assistance Payments Program during fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026). The funding comes from two sources: $222,900 from the Cooperative Welfare (General) Fund and $197,600 from the Cooperative Welfare (Federal) Fund. It directly supports extended foster care services by providing trustee and benefit payments to eligible youth in foster care. The bill became effective July 1, 2025, after being signed into law on April 4, 2025.