This bill amends Idaho law to revise how Community Infrastructure Districts can be formed, allowing cities and counties to create special zones for planning infrastructure before development begins. The key provision requires that any district be approved by local government bodies and must follow existing land use planning rules, while also specifying that only publicly owned infrastructure can be financed through these districts. The legislation creates a legal framework for advance payment of development impact fees and provides additional financing tools to help new growth pay for itself more quickly.
This bill directs the Idaho State Controller to transfer specific funds between various state accounts for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, primarily moving money from specialized funds into the General Fund and limiting legislative spending. For fiscal year 2026, it transfers $5.8 million from the Permanent Building Fund to the Legislative Account while capping legislative spending at $8.17 million, and moves $13 million from the Idaho Broadband Fund and remaining School District Building Account balances to the General Fund. The bill also authorizes transfers from the Twenty-seventh Payroll Fund to cover potential budget shortfalls and directs interest earnings from multiple funds to the Strategic Initiatives and Fire Suppression Deficiency Warrant Funds. For fiscal year 2027, the legislation reduces the legislative spending cap to $8.09 million and requires transfers of interest earnings from the Budget Stabilization, Public Education Stabilization, and Water Pollution Control Funds to the General Fund to maintain a minimum cash balance of $150 million.
This bill appropriates and adjusts funding for Idaho's Division of Welfare for fiscal year 2027, covering the period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. It allocates $6.9 million total from two Cooperative Welfare funds, with $3 million designated for personnel costs and $3.8 million for operating expenses, while also setting aside $98,300 for benefit payments. The legislation simultaneously reduces the overall appropriation by $3.1 million from the Federal Fund, specifically cutting $3 million for personnel and $98,300 for benefit payments. The bill includes a declaration of emergency and takes effect immediately upon signing.
Idaho's H 730 strengthens SNAP program integrity by requiring the Department of Health and Welfare to verify household eligibility using multiple data sources. It mandates monthly reviews of vital records, corrections data, and federal databases (like death records, incarceration status, and tax filings), and quarterly checks of employment and tax information. The bill also requires the department to disenroll households with lottery winnings exceeding $3,000 or asset limits for elderly/disabled households, and to publish annual reports on fraud investigations and improper payments. Additionally, it prohibits Idaho from applying income or asset standards higher than federal limits without federal approval. This directly affects SNAP recipients whose circumstances (like income changes, incarceration, or lottery winnings) trigger verification reviews.
H 765 amends Idaho law to simplify how fire protection districts can transfer territory between districts and exempts certain fire and library districts from specific budget limitations. It revises annexation rules (Section 31-1411) to allow territory moves via owner petitions (with service improvement proof) or mutual board consent, and updates budget rules (Section 63-802) to remove spending caps for eligible districts. These changes directly affect fire and library districts, their taxpayers, and property owners in areas seeking to join or leave districts. The bill makes procedural updates to property tax assessments (Section 63-301A) but focuses on enabling district flexibility in territory management and budgeting.
This bill allocates $46.1 million to Idaho's Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination for fiscal year 2027 while simultaneously reducing funding and staffing for two related offices. It sets a maximum of 23 full-time positions for the main office, cuts 11 positions from the Office of Energy and Mineral Resources, and reduces 16 positions from the Office of Species Conservation. The legislation also lowers operating budgets for the energy and minerals office and the species conservation office, while maintaining or increasing funding for the main coordination office from various state and federal sources.
This bill eliminates the proration of Idaho's homestead property tax exemption, allowing homeowners to receive the full exemption amount for the entire tax year if they qualify. It applies to owners who use their primary residence as their main dwelling and meet specific eligibility requirements, including uniform property appraisal certification by the state tax commission. Under the new rules, the exemption is calculated based on the full market value reduction rather than being divided by the number of days the property is occupied, and applications must be submitted by the end of the county's business year to receive the full benefit. The law also clarifies that if a homeowner's eligibility status changes during the year, taxes will be prorated only for the period after the status change occurs.
This bill appropriates $18.1 million to Idaho's Department of Parks and Recreation for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, funding park operations, capital development, and personnel costs from various state and federal funds. It authorizes an increase of 2.95 full-time equivalent positions for the department and exempts certain trustee and benefit payments from program transfer limitations for fiscal year 2026. The legislation declares an emergency to take effect immediately upon signing, with most provisions becoming active on July 1, 2026.
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.
