This bill allows fire protection and ambulance service districts in Idaho to use citizen initiative petitions to raise or lower their property tax budgets, giving residents a direct vote on these financial decisions. It establishes specific procedures for these initiatives, including requiring signatures from at least 20% of qualified voters in the district and setting deadlines for petition submission and verification. The bill also updates existing budget limit rules for these districts, allowing them to calculate budget requests differently than other taxing entities, particularly regarding growth factors and annexed property values.
This bill allocates $235,800 in state funds to the Office of the Secretary of State for fiscal year 2027, covering personnel costs and operating expenses. The money comes from the General Fund and is designated for use between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027. The legislation includes an emergency clause to allow immediate implementation of the funding on the specified date. This appropriation directly supports the operational budget of the Secretary of State's office without changing existing laws or responsibilities.
This bill directs $5 million from the Idaho High Needs Student Fund to the Public Schools Educational Support Program's Division of Student Support for fiscal year 2027 to help fund student support services. It also transfers $1 million from the Idaho Career Ready Students Program Fund and $4 million from the Driver Training Account into the Idaho High Needs Student Fund to provide the necessary money for this appropriation. The legislation clarifies the funding source for these expenditures and sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, with an emergency declaration to ensure immediate implementation.
This bill modifies Idaho's tax exemptions for data center operations, extending a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and revising property tax rules for capital investments. It requires businesses to invest at least $250 million in data center facilities and create 30 new full-time jobs within specific timeframes to qualify for the exemptions. The legislation also introduces new requirements for companies starting construction on or after April 1, 2026, including electricity rate agreements and water consumption planning with local providers. Businesses that fail to meet these investment and job creation requirements must pay the taxes that would have otherwise been owed.
This bill allocates $11.1 million to Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare for fiscal year 2027, primarily funding the Division of Indirect Support Services and the Domestic Violence Council. While it adds new funding from various state funds, it simultaneously reduces the overall budget for Indirect Support Services by over $10 million and cuts authorized staff positions by 58 full-time equivalents. The legislation also allows certain licensing funds to transfer money for personnel costs and benefits, and it takes effect on July 1, 2026.
This bill provides an additional $63,000 in state funding to the Idaho State Police for their Forensic Services Program during fiscal year 2027. The money is designated for operating expenses and will be drawn from the state's General Fund. The legislation includes an emergency declaration to ensure the funding takes effect immediately on July 1, 2026. This appropriation directly supports the forensic analysis work conducted by Idaho State Police personnel.
This bill appropriates state and federal funds to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the State Independent Living Council for fiscal year 2027, covering programs like Medicaid, child welfare, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment. It establishes specific funding amounts for various divisions including youth safety, early learning, family partnerships, and benefit payments, while also limiting the number of authorized full-time equivalent positions. The legislation includes requirements for program integrity, monthly Medicaid tracking reports, and cost-sharing for certain services, and directs how specific funds must be used for initiatives like smoking cessation, opioid response, and rural physician incentives.
This bill allows Idaho school districts and public charter schools that meet specific performance and financial standards to gain more control over how they spend state education funds. To qualify, districts must rank in the top 20% for test scores or exceed state averages by significant margins, maintain strong graduation rates, and demonstrate three years of clean financial audits. Participating schools gain flexibility to allocate money for salaries, programs, and other expenses as they see fit, while being exempt from many state reporting requirements. The law includes safeguards that allow the state to revoke this flexibility if schools fail to meet academic benchmarks for two consecutive years or have serious financial audit issues. A report on the program's impact will be submitted to the legislature in 2029.
This bill appropriates $14.18 million to Idaho's Department of Fish and Game for fiscal year 2027, covering administration, fisheries, and wildlife programs from state and federal funds. It authorizes the department to use unspent money from the previous year for new, one-time expenses and designates $200,000 specifically for enhancing wolf trapping to manage predation. The bill requires the department to report how the wolf trapping funds are used by June 30, 2027, and takes effect on July 1, 2026.
This Idaho bill allocates and adjusts funding for the Workforce Development Council and the STEM Action Center for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It increases the Workforce Development Council's budget by $1,150,000 from the In-Demand Careers Fund while adding six full-time equivalent positions, but simultaneously reduces its General Fund allocation for operating expenses. The STEM Action Center receives a budget increase from the STEM Education Fund while having its total funding reduced by $76,400 from the General Fund and losing seven full-time equivalent positions. The bill also declares an emergency to allow the General Fund reduction to take effect immediately upon passage, with other provisions beginning on July 1, 2026.
