Budget & Taxes

signed · Idaho · House Mar 30, 2026

H 722: TAXATION – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding certain rate-regulated electric companies and gas companies.

H 722 revises Idaho's tax rules for rate-regulated electric and gas utility companies. It updates how property taxes are calculated and distributed to counties, requiring the state tax commission to verify utility investments every five years and establish a dedicated "rate-regulated tax fund." The bill changes the method for apportioning tax revenue based on 2025 property tax data and adjusts distributions when local taxing districts dissolve. These changes directly affect electric/gas utilities and local governments that receive tax revenue from these companies.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill revises utility tax calculations, mandates investment verification, and creates dedicated tax fund to enhance fiscal management and revenue distribution.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax Revenue

in committee · Idaho · Senate Feb 5, 2026

S 1253: RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION – Adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund and the Rural Health Transformation Committee.

S 1253 establishes the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund in the state treasury, funded by federal grants and potential legislative appropriations, to support federally approved rural health programs. It also creates a Rural Health Transformation Committee with six members (two from each legislative chamber and two nonvoting appointees by the governor) to oversee fund distribution. The committee must set funding rules by specific deadlines, require sustainability plans for funded projects, and receive quarterly progress reports from the Department of Health and Welfare. All fund expenditures must align with Idaho's federally approved rural health plan and be subject to annual public reporting. This bill directly affects rural health initiatives and providers receiving state funds under the federal program.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund requiring legislative appropriations to fund rural health programs, advancing public service funding through state budget allocation.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund to support rural health programs via federal grants and legislative appropriations, requiring sustainability plans for funded projects.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance

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signed · Idaho · House Mar 24, 2026

H 642: PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEM – Amends and repeals existing law to establish public safety officer catastrophic injury or death in the line of duty benefits.

H 642 adjusts Idaho's public safety officer retirement benefits to ensure consistency between catastrophic injury and death benefits. It increases the lump-sum death benefit for surviving spouses or dependent children to $500,000 (matching the existing catastrophic injury benefit) and adds an annual pension of $75,000 for surviving spouses. The bill specifically affects surviving spouses and dependent children of police officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty due to catastrophic injuries. Benefits will be funded solely through public safety officers' pension contributions, with no tax on the payments. The legislation repeals outdated death benefit provisions and defines "catastrophic injury" through specific medical criteria.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases state spending on public safety retirement benefits with $75k annual pension and $500k lump sum, funding essential public safety support programs.85% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enhances financial support for law enforcement families, strengthening officer retention and morale within criminal justice system.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentIncreases death benefits and adds annual pension for surviving spouses of public safety officers, expanding worker benefits for high-risk employment under Labor & Employment standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Pensions Policing Public Employees

in committee · Idaho · House Feb 9, 2026

H 605: TAXATION – Amends and adds to existing law to provide certain deductions to income taxes and to provide for an increased food tax credit for seniors.

Idaho bill H 605 increases tax credits for seniors and adds deductions for certain income. It raises the annual food tax credit for Idaho residents from $100 (2022) to $155 (2025 onward), with an additional $50 credit for seniors aged 65+ who file taxes. The bill also creates a temporary deduction (2026-2028) for qualified tips and premium overtime pay, reducing taxable income. These changes directly affect Idaho residents filing state taxes, particularly seniors and workers earning tips or overtime. The credit is refundable if taxes owed are less than the credit amount.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases tax credits for seniors and food expenses, reducing taxable income for lower-income residents. Direct tax relief aligns with support indicators for fiscal responsibility and targeted relief.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Tax Credits

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passed · Idaho · House Mar 10, 2026

H 767: DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES – Amends existing law to allow development impact fees to be used for certain costs associated with certain fire apparatus replacement.

This bill amends Idaho law to allow local governments to use development impact fees - paid by developers for new construction - to fund the replacement of fire apparatus (like fire trucks) as part of public safety facilities. It updates the definition of "capital improvements" in Idaho Code to explicitly include fire apparatus replacement under public safety facilities. This change directly affects local fire departments and governments that collect these fees, enabling them to redirect existing fee revenue toward replacing aging equipment. The policy change does not alter who pays the fees or the fee amounts, only the allowable uses of the collected funds.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRedirects existing development impact fees (paid by developers) to fund fire apparatus replacement, enabling public safety capital improvements without new taxes or fees.90% confidence

Tags Public Safety

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signed · Idaho · House Mar 23, 2026

H 716: TRANSPORTATION – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding apportionment of the Highway Distribution Account, to remove a limitation regarding revenues received from fuel taxes, and to revise a provision regarding the distribution of the tax on special fuels.

This bill revises how Idaho distributes transportation funding from the Highway Distribution Account. It gradually increases the share going to local governments (from 38% to 40% by 2025) while increasing the state highway account share (from 57% to 60%), and eliminates the law enforcement account's allocation. Crucially, it removes a restriction preventing fuel tax revenues (including fees from electric/hybrid vehicles) from being used for highway funding. These changes adjust existing fund distribution formulas without creating new taxes or programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill removes restrictions on using fuel tax revenues for highway funding and reallocates existing tax distributions to prioritize highway infrastructure, promoting efficient fiscal management of transportation budgets.90% confidence ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill eliminates law enforcement account allocation within transportation funding, directly defunding law enforcement which falls under criminal justice.85% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill increases highway funding allocations (local 38%→40%, state 57%→60%) and removes restrictions on using fuel tax revenues for transportation infrastructure, directly advancing highway funding.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Roads & Highways Transportation Funding

signed · Idaho · House Mar 20, 2026

H 599: EDUCATION – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the Public School Digital Content and Curriculum Fund.

This bill establishes the Public School Digital Content and Curriculum Fund in Idaho's state treasury, administered by the Idaho Department of Education. It provides state funding for public school districts (including specialized programs like the Idaho Bureau of Educational Services for the Deaf and Blind) to purchase digital content, curriculum, and academic text support systems that directly improve student achievement in areas like reading, math, career readiness, and college preparation. School districts must demonstrate how requested funds (capped at $50,000 per request) will help meet measurable student performance targets outlined in their continuous improvement plans, with funding distributed first-come, first-served based on needs-based criteria. The bill also specifies that funds are continuously appropriated and interest earned must be returned to the fund.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEstablishes state fund for public school digital curriculum, increasing budget allocation for education spending without tax changes.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes state fund for digital curriculum/content to improve student achievement in reading/math/career readiness, directly funding educational resources.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyFunds digital content and curriculum for schools, directly supporting educational technology use and aligning with Science and Technology subjects.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education

signed · Idaho · House Mar 13, 2026

H 594: TAXATION – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding late charges and interest on certain taxes due and the apportionment of collected late charges and interest to taxing districts.

H 594 revises Idaho's property tax rules to ensure late fees and interest on overdue payments are distributed proportionally to local taxing districts (like cities, schools, and road districts). It requires county tax collectors to remit all late charges and interest to county auditors, who must then allocate these funds in the same ratio as each district's share of regular property tax revenue. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies to all property tax collections handled by county tax collectors and auditors.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEnsures proportional distribution of property tax late fees to local districts, promoting fiscal accountability and consistent revenue streams for counties/schools per tax allocation rules.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax Revenue

signed · Idaho · House Mar 30, 2026

H 793: BEER – Amends existing law to revise a provision regarding distribution of revenue.

H 793 revises Idaho's beer excise tax revenue distribution, affecting state funds and the beer industry. It increases the portion of low-alcohol beer tax revenue (≤5% ABV) going to the substance abuse treatment fund from 12% to 20%, while allocating 33% to the Idaho law enforcement fund (with 60% dedicated to the Project Choice program) and the remainder to the general fund. For high-alcohol beer (>5% ABV), it temporarily adjusts funding to hop growers and wine producers (1.5%/3.5% in 2022-2023, rising to 5%/1.5% permanently from 2024), with the rest going to the general fund. The bill removes obsolete language and takes effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases funding to substance abuse treatment (20%) and law enforcement (33% via Project Choice), strengthening state program budgets through tax revenue reallocation.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareIncreases substance abuse treatment fund allocation from 12% to 20% of low-alcohol beer tax revenue, directly funding public health programs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Revenue Sales Tax State Budget Substance Abuse

in committee · Idaho · Senate Feb 17, 2026

S 1312: MEDICAID – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding provider payment.

S 1312 revises Idaho's Medicaid payment rules for healthcare providers, directly affecting hospitals, mental health facilities, and home care services. It sets payment rates at 100% of Medicare for primary care and 90% for other services where Medicare equivalents exist, while requiring annual cost surveys (with 15% audits) for services without Medicare rates. The bill mandates providers to allocate funds to staff wages and employee costs, reduces general fund needs by $3.1 million in FY2020 and $8.72 million in FY2021, and transitions most hospitals to value-based payment systems by July 2021. It also nullifies specific administrative rules (IDAPA 16.03.26) after July 2026.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill reduces general fund needs by $3.1M through revised Medicaid payment rates, promoting fiscal responsibility in state budget management.92% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill sets Medicaid payment rates at 100% of Medicare for primary care, strengthening provider funding and access while requiring cost efficiency measures.90% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Long-Term Care Medicaid Primary Care

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