Idaho Bills
10 bills · 2017 Regular Session
Amends existing law to revise apportionment in the Highway Distribution Account.
The purpose of this legislation is to transition Idaho State Police's funding component that they receive from gas tax to the General Fund. Currently the portion of funds that the Idaho State Police receives from the gas tax can only be used for specific purposes and requires significant effort from the Idaho State Police to ensure that those funds are spent appropriately. By transitioning these funds from a dedicated source to the General Fund, the Idaho State Police will be unencumbered in how they choose to allocate all of their funds.
33 – 37
Amends existing law to require criminal history checks for licensing.
17 – 17
Authorizes the Idaho Real Estate Board to collect and remit fees necessary to provide appraisal management services in connection with federally related transactions from an appraisal management company to the appropriate federal agency.
18 – 17
Adds to existing law to provide a sales and use tax rebate to certain developers of certain information technology equipment companies, to provide definitions, to establish provisions regarding a claim, and to provide for approval by the tax commission.
Idaho is well positioned to attract significant capital investment in the rapidly growing data center industry. The safe and secure storage of data continues to be a critical factor for growing companies throughout the world, and Idaho is an ideal location to site multiple large-scale data centers which tend to cluster in states with available land, competitive energy costs, minimal risk of natural disasters and an ideal climate. Currently, Idaho is not competitive in attracting large-scale data center projects as over 20 states - including theborderingstatesofWashingtonandWyoming-offerexemptionsorrebatesforsalestaxespaidoneligible serverequipment,whicharetypicallyreplacedinadatacentereverythreetofiveyears. Furthermore,Oregon and Montana do not have a retail sales tax and therefore no data center equipment is subject to a sales tax. Establishing the Idaho Information Technology Equipment Tax Rebate will enable Idaho to compete for these projects. This legislation provides a sales tax rebate on eligible server equipment that would benefit both the existing data centers in Idaho, as well as attracting new data centers to the state. TheprovisionsofSection1ofthisactshallbenull, void, andofnoforceandeffectonandafterJuly1, 2024.
35 – 34
Adds to and amends existing law to prohibit the release of emissions under certain conditions and to prohibit certain modification of diesel-powered vehicles.
16 – 18
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding membership of the State Behavioral Health Planning Council and the Regional Behavioral Health Board.
The intent of this legislation is to add definitions for peer support specialist and family support partner to support implementation of community family support and recovery support supportive service as defined in section 39-3135(7e), Idaho Code to remove language in section 39-3134, Idaho Code related to initial appointment of Regional Behavioral Health Board members that is no longer needed now that boards have been established and add language to membership sections of the State planning Council and Regional Boards to include representation from the field of prevention.
16 – 19
Adds to existing law to establish Rural Education Support Networks.
The legislation would authorize the superintendent of public instruction to fund the establishment of one (1) Rural Education Support Network in FY 2018. The Network would provide member school districts and/or charter schools with dedicated staff and funding to collaborate, share resources, and pursue the procurement of new available resources. In addition, the Network would provide an opportunity for school districts to collaborate and share resources with institutes of higher education and businesses who are interested in participating. Beyond K-12 education, the Network would also be dedicated to the workforce development and economic health of the community it serves. A local school district, institute of higher education, or business must enter into an MOU with the Network, which would be an opt-in cooperative entity. The state department of education would provide a model MOU to which Networks could attach addenda to meet their specific needs.
37 – 33
Repeals and adds to existing law to implement the Idaho Motor Vehicle Service Contract Act and the Idaho Vehicle Theft Protection Program Act.
The proposed legislation updates the Idaho Motor Vehicle Service Contract Act, which was enacted into law in 1993. The proposed legislation moves the authority to enforce the Act from the Attorney General to the Department of Insurance. In addition, the proposed legislation clarifies the definition of a service contract to expressly authorize the following types of contracts: Contracts to repair or replace tires or wheels damaged byroadhazards; contractstorepairorreplacewindshielddamagebyroadhazards; contractstoremovedents and dings in a vehicle without sanding, bonding, or repainting; and contracts to repair or replace lost, stolen, or damaged vehicle key-fobs. Moreover, the proposed legislation gives the Director of the Department of Insurance the power to approve other similar service contracts not enumerated in the Act. Finally, the proposed legislation adds a new chapter to regulate the warranties associated with theft protection products installed on vehicles, such as steering column locks, tracking devices, and vehicle etching.
32 – 38
Adds to, amends and repeals existing law to authorize GARVEE bonding to finance highway transportation projects, to provide distribution from the sales tax account for certain transportation projects, and to revise distributions from the strategic initiatives program.
This legislation approves bonding authority to issue highway transportation (GARVEE) bonds by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA) in a principal amount sufficient to finance the highway transportation projects listed in the legislation in an amount up to $300 million. Such bonds are expected to be paid from federal highway apportionments and a small State match. Project selection and allocation of GARVEE bond proceeds shall be the sole responsibility and duty of the Idaho Transportation Board. This legislation creates the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation Fund in ITD. Thislegislationextendsfor2yearsthesurpluseliminatorin2015'sH312aaSaaS,providingforasplitof60% for state and 40% for local units of government. The 40% local split would be put in a newly created fund called local strategic initiatives fund. LHTAC will work with local units of government to select projects. This legislation redirects the unallocated portion of the cigarette tax to the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation Fund.
51 – 19
Amends and adds to existing law to provide for licensure of sign language interpreters.
Relating to sign language interpreting, this legislation creates a licensing system and licensing requirements for sign language interpreters. At least 13% of the general population has a variety of types of hearing loss, which affects 203,785 Idaho citizens. Out of that total, 2.42% of the population with hearing loss (34,486) experience severe to profound hearing loss. They are unable to readily understand speech due to the extent of their hearing loss, but instead rely on a visual mode of communication. These deaf people are at a distinct disadvantage with incomplete, incorrect, and unethically-delivered information, often by the hands of non-qualified interpreters. A professional and qualified interpreter is required to facilitate the communication and information, ensuring that it is fully accessible and understandable by the customers and the service providers. It is a quality control measure to ensure that deaf and hearing consumers receive appropriate interpreting services, which may reduce general threats to the health and safety of deaf people statewide. Licensing professional interpreters also minimize the liability of hiring entities in providing services to deaf consumers. It also ensures equal access to education, employment opportunities, and health care for deaf children and adults. Recognizing that by using sign language interpreters can profoundly affect the lives of people of the state of Idaho, itisthepurposeofthisacttosetstandardsofqualificationforthosewhoengageinthepracticeofsign language interpreting and protect the public from unprofessional conduct in the practice of sign language interpreting.
18 – 16