LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Week Ten Idaho Legislative Update for March 16 – March 20, 2026

Boise and the surrounding Treasure Valley is basking in record high temperatures this week. As we usher in spring after an extremely mild and dry winter, the mercury has pushed into the high 70s and low 80s, setting a series of new records in the process. Barring the skiing community, few seem to mind. Downtown Boise is teaming with folks sporting T-shirts, shorts and sandals. Even legislators are strolling to their lunch dates without suitcoats and ties. To be honest, it’s all quite pleasant outdoors, which we enjoyed as we walked between meetings yet failed to take full advantage given another busy week in the Capitol.

As if on cue, the overall temperature inside the Statehouse is also increasing. Patience is wearing thin for legislators, staff and others who work the building. Two-a-day floor sessions, bloated bill calendars and exhaustive committee hearings on thorny issues like immigration enforcement, the legality of Kratom and education policies are taking a toll. These contentious issues are compounded by a record volume of new bills, many of which are just minor fixes and stand little chance of getting passed. There are always last-minute fights and fixes as things wind down, but the numbers we’re seeing this year is simply adding to fatigue and collective irritation.

The spirit of politeness that dominates the first two months of session has given way to the subtle, and not so subtle, barbs aimed at colleagues in committee and floor debates. In private meetings or phone calls, legislators say they just want to go home. This is normal and signals the moment for leadership to step in and hammer out the details of priority policies. It’s the time when House Speaker Mike Moyle exerts his power over the entire building, bending colleagues in both chambers to his political will and policy demands. It’s political art and he’s a master.

With no clear “go home” bill in play and budgets moving, the chambers are managing priorities in unusual fashion. Major issues have given way to a set of other fights, such as Idaho Fish and Game Department rules governing use of advanced technology for hunting game and predators, affordable housing policy reform, Medicaid programs, virtual education, and the annual push to change how voters elect Ada County Highway District Commissioners. Lawmakers have tried seven different times in recent years to revamp ACHD elections, including three different bills this session. The latest attempt awaits a vote in the Senate.

There is also a last-ditch effort underway to fix local government funding issues caused by a bill passed in 2021. Ever since, HB 389 has throttled revenue options for cities and counties because it capped and curbed local budgets. The result has been to the detriment of police, fire, EMS and other essential services and needs. Add to this the fact the Legislature has passed other policies pitting local governments against each other in competition for other funding streams. Having used up federal funds, local leaders from across the state are back in Boise to persuade lawmakers to fix HB 389 and ease the burden on local budgets.

The fact is their persuasion mission is having an impact, though time will tell if legislators have the time and gumption to fix the problem.

This point in the session also triggers the phenomenon of rolling bills off the floor. What this means is the House will approve bills with little or no debate, sometimes even suspending rules to accommodate a voice vote to move things along and clear the calendar. The Senate, meanwhile, is taking its time and has built a calendar of bills, resolutions and appointments pages long. Yes, it’s the “deliberative body.” Yes, the Senate can and does roll votes when so moved. But too often the various factions within the Senate GOP relish lengthy debates, much to the chagrin of leadership. All of this is to say the Senate has some ground to make up on the House.

Much is expected to get done next week, as the target date to adjourn appears to be March 27th. Our best guess is a few extra days in April will be required to clear calendars.

Significant progress toward adjournment was made here in Week 10. The House and Senate have approved and sent across the Rotunda dozens of appropriations bills. For a session with balancing the budget as the singular goal, significant progress has been made. Even the massive $5.7 billion Health and Human Services appropriations bill – at this point one of the only spending bills voted down by either the House or Senate – has been tweaked and now awaits a second test in the Senate.

Other notable developments from the week include:

• The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved nearly $22 million in cuts to a Medicaid disabilities service program, tracking with cuts approved by the House last week. The cuts in pay rates to residential rehabilitation providers keeps the Legislature on track with the Governor’s balanced budget blueprint.

• A bill to provide portable benefits to workers in the burgeoning “gig economy” cleared both chambers and awaits the Governor’s signature. This new policy clears the way for Uber and DoorDash drivers or other contract workers to carry over their health insurance or retirement savings if they change employers.

• Thanks to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Idaho will receive more than $900 million over five years to make improvements in the delivery of health care in rural communities. The House this week passed a bill designed to provide legislative oversight of how and where those dollars are spent. It awaits action in the Senate.

It’s also the time of session for the Governor to keep his signature neat and legible. This week alone, Gov. Little signed 56 bills that have landed on his desk for review, his busiest week this session. So far, there has not been a single veto or threat that he might pull the veto stamp out of the drawer. Anyone interested in tracking the Governor’s treatment of bills can visit this dedicated page on his website.

We also joined many inside the statehouse this week, and across the Treasure Valley, in mourning the sudden and tragic loss of Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam. Our firm has collaborated with the Mayor on a variety of projects and initiatives over the years, even before he became Mayor of Idaho’s third largest city. We always respected his passion to public service, his commitment to doing the right thing for his community and family, and his professionalism.

News of Rick’s sudden passing sent shock waves through the Capitol, through our local and state partners, and hit our firm hard. Beyond his resume, Rick was a friend, and a great person to learn from. We are heartsick for his family, and we will miss him terribly.

Flags at government buildings across Idaho remain at half-staff in honor of Hogaboam and his commitment as a public servant, the first of many nods to his statesmanship and legacy. As plans develop for his services and memorials and the community rallies around his family, we will be there. Because that’s what Rick would do.  

His sudden passing this week also helped us and many others pause and remember to be kind and look after one another. His passing serves as a harsh reminder that life is short. We owe it to ourselves and each other to make the time and effort to reach out and connect.

House Bills

H0502 – Forest Products Commission– Passed the House (66-1-3) Passed the Senate Floor (35-0) Signed by the Governor 3/2/26 - Effective 7/1/26
The legislation moves the IDAPA Rules of Administrative Procedure for the Idaho Forest Products Commission into Idaho Code. It also makes a series of technical corrections to the commission, officers, and assessments.  
Sponsor: Rep Boyle (R-9) 

HB511 – Wildfire Property Assessments –  Passed the House (46-22-2) – Passed the Senate (26-9) - Signed by the Governor 3/17/26 - Effective 7/1/26
Calls for an increase from $40 to up to $100 on the surcharge set for improved private forest land parcels. Revenue generated from the surcharge would be deposited in a dedicated fund to support wildfire preparedness. The Land Board would have the authority to set the surcharge. The last rate increase was in 2009.  
Sponsor: Boyle (R-9) 

HB0565- Code Clean-up, Fish & Game- House Resources and Conservation  
To ensure that state laws are streamlined, up-to-date, and essential for the citizens of Idaho, while best serving the public health, safety, and welfare, the Legislature approved the Idaho Code Cleanup Act, H14 in the 2025 legislative session. Submitted sections of Idaho Code were reviewed for repeal consideration by the DOGE Task Force on the criteria of obsolete, outdated, and unnecessary. This bill repeals Sections 36-116, 36-715, and 36-1120, Idaho Code. These sections relate to the transition of wolf management to the state and hunting fines. Idaho has been managing wolves for years, and the fines for hunting violations are established in other sections of Idaho Code. 
Sponsors: Rep. Manwaring (R-29) Sen. Bjerke (R-5) 

H0630- Airborne Control of Predatory Animals- Passed the House (60-8-2) – Senate Floor
This legislation would amend 22-102A, Idaho Code, which provides for the permitting of the use of aircraft in controlling unprotected or predatory animals. The amendments will account for the movement of current administrative rule language into the statute because it is beneficial to have all related requirements related to this matter in a single location in Idaho Code.Sponsor: Rep. Shirts (R-9) 

H0651-Big Game Depredation Claims- House Resources and Conservation CommitteeThe purpose of this legislation is to ensure that all available moneys in the Big Game Depredation Fund are fully and efficiently paid out for valid claims arising from damage caused by big game to private property. This act clarifies claim payment procedures, prioritizes the distribution of available funds to approved claims, and provides mechanisms for proportional payment when claims exceed available balances, ensuring that funds are not unnecessarily left unexpended while landowners and agricultural producers wait for compensation. Sponsor: Rep. Shirts (R-9)

H0653- Wildlife Relocation- House Resources and Conservation Committee
This legislation increases transparency and public involvement in wildlife transplant and relocation decisions by requiring the Department of Fish and Game to notify county commissioners, affected landowners, and grazing permittees of planned movements. If an affected party objects in writing, the county commission must hold a hearing and vote on the proposal, while emergency “responsive movements” remain unaffected. 
Sponsor: Rep. Pickett (R-27)

H0677- Fish and Game- House Resources and Conservation  
This legislation deals with sportsman like conduct and makes it unlawful to construct wildlife hunting blinds that are near water sources on public lands. 
Sponsor: Rep. Raymond (R-31) 

H0678- Passed the House (67-0-3) -Senate Floor
This legislation is to allow wolf trappers to inspect their trap remotely with transmitting cameras. 
Sponsor: Rep. Shepherd (R-7) 

H0737- Merge offs, spec cons & enrgy resrs,- Passed the House (66-4-0) - Passed the Senate (30-2-3) 
This legislation provides for the merging of the Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources with the Office of Species Conservation. A merged office will leverage administrative capacity and reduce bureaucratic redundancy. 
Sponsors: Rep. Boyle (R-9) Sen. Den Hartog (R-22) 

H0855 – Lifetime Fishing Hunting Licenses – Passed the House (48-17-5) – Senate Resources  
Would change the eligibility to purchase a lifetime fishing/hunting license. Current statute makes eligibility upon anyone who is a resident for six months. Change in this bill would lengthen that to five years.  
Sponsor: Rep. Petzke (R-21) 

H0910- Endowment Lands, Recreation – House Floor 
The Idaho Department of Lands excels in fire suppression, timber management, and GNA coordination but lacks sufficient staffing to meet growing recreation demands. This legislation allows IDL and Idaho Parks and Recreation to jointly expand recreational opportunities on endowment lands without impacting existing uses. 
Sponsor: Rep. Raymond (R-31) 

House Joint Memorials & Resolutions

HJM009 – FLPMA Memorial – Passed the House (69-0-1) – Passed the Senate (Voice Vote) – Secretary of State  
A joint memorial calling on the U.S. Congress to reaffirm the Federal Land Policy and Management Act as the primary law governing federal land management and exchanges. It’s a response to a recent legal decision in Idaho on a proposed land exchange that threatened the predictability of FLPMA. 
Sponsor: Boyle (R-9) 

HJM014 – Water Storage – Passed the House (Voice Vote) - Senate Floor 
This joint memorial recognizes that Idaho faces ongoing water shortages due to declining aquifer levels, reduced snowpack, earlier runoff, and insufficient reservoir capacity. It states the Legislature’s commitment to a long-term goal of creating 750,000 acre-feet of new water storage by the year 2100 (“750k by 2100”). The memorial urges Congress and federal agencies to partner with Idaho to fast-track feasibility studies for modest reservoir raises, support planning for new storage projects, explore creative financing options, and complete an updated basin study to identify priority projects. 
Sponsor: Rep. Fuhriman (R-30) 

HJR10- State-owned lands- House State Affairs  
The purpose of this Joint Resolution is to amend Article IX, Section 8 of the Idaho Constitution to establish an updated framework for managing state endowment and public lands. The amendment replaces the "maximum long-term financial return" mandate with expanded land management practices that prioritize ongoing revenue generation, including but not limited to timber sales, mining, and grazing, followed by public access for recreation, hunting, fishing, and trapping. The amendment continues to allow the sale or exchange of these lands while reducing pressure on the state to sell them solely because of their high value. This resolution preserves all existing options for timber, mining, and grazing, and remains fully compliant with the Idaho Admissions Act without altering the Land Board’s structure or the Endowment’s beneficiaries. 
Sponsor: Rep. Raybold (R-34), Rep. Petzke (R-21) 

HCR034- Bear Rive Compact – Passed the House (67-2-1) 
This resolution asserts Idaho's water rights under the 1980 Amended Bear River Compact (ratified by Congress and signed by Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming), directs Idaho’s Bear River Commissioners to strictly enforce Bear Lake's irrigation reserve water elevation statutes, and urges investment in equipment to accurately measure and quantify Bear River water. It further directs the Idaho Water Resources Board to prepare reports on current Bear River water development and future needs, prioritize feasibility studies for new surface storage, off-stream storage, and aquifer recharge projects using Idaho’s compact allocation (without harming Bear Lake), allocate funds from the $30 million Water Management Account transfer for implementation, and consult legislative leadership before any agreements with power utilities or Utah/Wyoming regarding Bear River or Bear Lake management. 
Sponsors: Rep. Moyle (R-10), Sen. Harris (R-35) 

Senate Bills

S1222- Water, domestic use- Passed the Senate (29-0-6) – Passed the House (69-0)- Signed by the Governor 2/17/26 - Effective 2/17/26
Relating to domestic wells. Last year there was an amendment to this section of code; however, it requires further exceptions to include certain subdivisions. 
Sponsor: Senator Anthon (R-27) 

S1223- Water districts- Senate Resources and Environment Committee 
Relating to Water Districts. An update related to who is required to pay for updates. Currently it goes to all water users in that district, and this will update it to allow the water district to bill the user it affects directly. 
Sponsor: TBD 

S1238- Fish & Game, public comment- Senate Resources and Environment Committee
This legislation amends Idaho Code §36-105, to provide for a 30-day public comment period prior to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopting, repealing, or amending any season-setting proclamation.
Sponsor: Sen. Forman (R-6) 

S1241- Protection of working animals- Passed the Senate (31-3-1) – Passed the House (67-0-3) – Sent to the Governor   
This legislation establishes protections for the lawful use of working animals in commerce and service, preventing state or local governments from adopting more restrictive rules that would effectively prohibit such use. It defines “working animal,” excludes cockfighting and dogfighting, and includes an emergency clause for the law to take effect July 1, 2026.
Sponsor: Sen. Shippy (R-9)

S1326 - Property Rights, Protection – Passed the Senate (30-5-0) – House Floor 
Requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant to enter private property. Creates both civil and criminal penalties. Adds exemptions for a few agriculture-related workers who are operating in their duty. 
Sponsor: Sen. Harris (R-35) 

S1413- Endowment land commercial leases- Senate State Affairs 
This legislation extends the maximum term for certain commercial leases on Idaho state endowment lands from 49 to 99 years to improve project viability, attract development, and increase long-term revenue for public beneficiaries. 
Sponsor: Sen. Bernt (R-21) 

Senate Joint Memorials & Resolutions

SJM108- Grazing, depredation claims- Passed House (Voice Vote) – Passed Senate (Voice Vote) – Delivered to Secretary of State 2/17/26
Grazing leases or permits on federal land are a valuable property right and can be critical to the success of Idaho ranchers. A rancher should not have their grazing lease or permit be adversely impacted because they submitted a depredation claim regarding their livestock. This Memorial calls upon the federal government to adopt rules to ensure that depredation claims cannot be used as a basis for modifying or revising a federal grazing permit or lease.
Sponsor: Sen. Lakey (R-23)

SJR103- State trust lands- Sent back to Senate Resources and Environment at Request of Sponsor
Protecting public lands in Idaho from permanent loss is of vital importance to the identity, culture, and livelihoods of Idahoans. This joint resolution proposes an amendment to Section 8, Article IX of the Idaho Constitution, distinguishing between state endowment lands granted for specific institutional purposes and public lands acquired from the federal government. The state Endowment will be unaffected, ensuring that the Endowment continues to generate revenue for its beneficiaries. Federally managed lands that may be endowed in the future will be placed in a separate, inviolable trust to be preserved for future generations, prohibiting the sale of these lands and allowing exchanges when approved by a two-third vote of the Legislature. These lands will be managed to balance and promote resource utilization, public recreation, scenic values, watershed quality, and wildlife habitat. Revenue from these lands will be applied to the Public Lands Trust Fund, dedicated first to operating and maintaining the land, then to compensating counties, enhancing public access, and supporting primary and secondary public education facilities. 
Sponsors: Sen. Adams (R-12) Rep. Redman (R-3) 

SJM111-Public Lands- Passed the Senate (voice vote) - To the House
This Joint Memorial affirms the importance of Idaho’s public lands and access to them as central to the state’s identity and way of life, warning that selling or transferring these lands could restrict access and create financial burdens for taxpayers. It urges Idaho’s congressional delegation to oppose any efforts to sell or transfer public lands and to support legislation like the Public Lands in Public Hands Act. 
Sponsor: Sen. Bernt (R-21) 

SCR124 - Wildlife Crossing- Passed the Senate (Voice Vote) – House Floor
This resolution codifies the need for the Idaho Legislature, Idaho’s Congressional delegation, Idaho’s Governor and the Directors of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho Transportation Department to recognize and support the development and implementation of wildlife crossings as a means of improving public safety and the conservation of big game migration corridors. It is also the intention that the Idaho Legislature encourage state and local governments to engage with local stakeholders to develop policies that align with public safety, big game conservation, preserving and protecting the landscape, connectivity, and critical migration corridors that would serve as priority locations for wildlife crossings ultimately designed to benefit Idaho citizens and it’s abundant wildlife populations. 
Sponsor: Rep. Bernt (R-21)