Idaho Bills

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the Idaho Launch Grant Program and the In-Demand Careers Fund.

This legislation makes changes to the Idaho Launch program. These include changes to the definition of In Demand Careers to include more factors instead of just the number of job openings, excludes careers that require graduate level education from eligibility, changes an eligibility date to align with schools whose school year goes into June, and gives the council a legal mechanism for means testing.

Amends existing law to revise eligibility requirements for the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship.

This is a correction made after the Legislature passed HB 500, which amended the Opportunity Scholarship to prevent students from accessing scholarship funds if they received a LAUNCH grant. This legislation clarifies that these requirements will start with the graduating class of 2025.

Amends existing law to provide that the Governor's appointment of the executive officer of the state board is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, to revise provisions regarding School District Facilities Fund distributions and School Modernization Facilities Fund distributions, and to revise provisions regarding public charter school financial support and charter school authorizers.

Amends existing law to provide for when pending fee and non-fee rules shall become effective.

This legislation sets a default effective date of July 1 for all pending rules approved by the Legislature. This legislation will also ensure that all rules reviewed and approved this session will go into effect on July 1, unless the concurrent resolution states otherwise.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Administration for the Division of Public Works for fiscal year 2025.

This is the FY 2025 original appropriation bill for the Permanent Building Fund. It appropriates a total of $174,908,300 to the Department of Administration for the Division of Public Works. The bill includes ten line items, including: construction of a secure mental health facility; utilities connections for the National Guard's Orchard Readiness Center; facility expansion for Idaho State University's physician assistant program; safety upgrades to the Mechanical-Technical Building and Wittman Complex at Lewis-Clark State College; construction of additional residential cottages at the School for the Deaf and Blind; and an insulated bus storage barn at the School for the Deaf and Blind. Four of the ten line items provide additional funding for existing projects, including: a 848-bed female prison; the new Science and Research Building at Boise State University; the Meat Science and Innovation Center at the University of Idaho; and the MOSS Campus at the University of Idaho. The bill also includes $87,448,300 for building maintenance projects to provide alterations and repairs projects for state agencies and institutions; asbestos abatement; facilities maintenance for the Capitol Mall and Chinden Campus; and statewide Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. The bill also includes a transfer from the General Fund. ThebillrepurposesappropriationsfrompriorDepartmentofCorrectioncapitalprojectstopurchaseandremodel the Department of Correction Training and Development Center that is currently under a lease agreement. The bill also repurposes contingency appropriation for previously authorized deferred maintenance projects to provide funding for a 100-bed minimum security dorm at the Idaho Correctional Institition in Orofino and additional funding for Idaho State University's physician assistant facilities expansion. Interest accrued in FY 2024 will be used to restore this funding for deferred maintenance. DISCLAIMER: This statement of purpose and