Idaho Bills

Adds to existing law to provide for electric corporations' standard of care for wildfire liability.

This legislation creates the "Wildfire Standard of Care Act" under Title 61, Chapter 18 to create a standard of care through electric utility wildfire mitigation plans, subject to approval by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (lPUC) for regulated utilities. In recent years, wildfires have bankrupted utilities and driven their customers' monthly bills to crippling levels. In part, this is due to courts holding utilities liable for wildfire damages, despite a finding of fault or causation. Many of Idaho's utilities, especially small and rural co-ops, could not survive those losses. Higher bills would harm Idaho's economy and place extreme burden on low- and fixed-income customers. The "Wildfire Standard of Care Act" protects customers and member-owners from the impacts of wildfire by empowering the IPUC to setclearandconsistentexpectationsforutilities'wildfiremitigationefforts, holdingutilitiestoarobuststandard of care in operations, maintenance, repair, and upgrades, and outlining liabilities for utilities that fail to meet IPUC requirements. It also motivates federal agencies to promptly authorize wildfire mitigation work.

Relates to the appropriation to the State Liquor Division for fiscal year 2026.

This is the enhancement appropriation to the State Liquor Division. As detailed in Table 1 of the

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law to revise provisions and requirements regarding collection of DNA samples and thumbprint impressions.

This legislation serves two purposes. First, it adds certain misdemeanors to the list of crimes for which collection of a DNA sample and thumbprint impression are required. These misdemeanors, and the existing crimes for which collection is required, are listed at the proposed section 19-5502(10), Idaho Code. The misdemeanors added can be indicative of a tendency to more serious conduct, including (a) crimes which may be precursors to more violent activities, (b) crimes that may have been originally charged as felonies, but were pleaded down to misdemeanors, or (c) crimes that evidence an unwillingness to comply with existing legal constraints. Second, the legislation seeks to clarify the roles and responsibilities of offenders and government officials in the process of collecting DNA samples and thumbprint impressions. To accomplish this, it adds a new section, section19-2512, IdahoCode, whichprovidesthatatthetimeofsentencing, judgeswillordersentenced offenders to submit to collection and order certain government officials to cause the samples to be collected within a time certain. It also sets specific time frames and responsibilities for collection from other offenders who are already sentenced or entering the state pursuant to an interstate compact for supervision.

Amends existing law to create a voluntary donation for the purpose of promoting and advancing vision health.

This legislation provides for a voluntary check off box on the driver's license application where one can donate $2 to a fund that will provide for 'no charge' vision screening, vision treatment and eye health exams for low income people who do not pass the eye exam while renewing or obtaining their drivers license. The donation will be directed to Envision Sight, an Idaho nonprofit corporation who will provide these services to those who do not have the means to pay for them.