Idaho Bills

Amends and adds to existing law to revise provisions regarding medical education programs supported by Idaho state funds.

Idaho does not have its own state-run medical school, requiring partnerships to deliver medical education to Idaho students. This legislation expands opportunities for Idaho to add medical education seats other than the University of Washington’s WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) medical education program. Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, the state board of education shall increase the number of reserved slots per incoming class by ten (10) each year for Idaho medical education other than the WWAMI program, until the incoming class size reaches thirty (30) students. For all but twenty (20) of the non-WWAMI students per incoming class, all the medical education coursework and a majority of the clinical placements shall be physically located in Idaho. Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the number of reserved slots reserved for Idaho medical education students in the WWAMI program may be decreased by at least ten (10) students. The state board of education shall appoint a working group to develop a medical education plan and deliver it to the Governor and Legislature by January 2, 2026 which shall: (a) address how the plan will reduce the physician shortage in Idaho in conjunction with graduate medical education; (b) ensure quality of medical education programs for Idaho students; (c) maximize the amount of medical education funds spent in Idaho; (d) maximize the number of clinical medical education placements located in and managed by Idaho; (e) maximize the number of medical residency placements in Idaho; (f) minimize conflicts with medical education program partners; and (g) minimize conflicts in delivering medical education coursework and clinical medical education placements to students enrolled in different medical education programs.

Relates to the appropriation to the Division of Financial Management for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Division of Financial Management provides enhancements to the FY 2026 budget that includes additional appropriation for ITS hardware replacement items and a reduction of General Fund operating expenditures.

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding clean indoor air and prevention of minors' access to tobacco products and electronic smoking devices.

This bill moves definitions of a variety of terms like “bar within a restaurant” and “Education facility” from rules into Idaho code. Also moves definition of “tobacco products.” No new law is created, this simply is transferring certain rules into Idaho code.

Relates to the appropriation to the Idaho State Historical Society for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Idaho State Historical Society provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget. This bill includes funding for new staff at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, an archivist technician, onetime support for state collections and archival moving, and onetime support for IT hardware.

Amends and adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Depredating Wildlife Appeals Board and to exempt the board from open meeting requirements.

This bill provides an appeal option for individuals experiencing depredation from wolves, grizzly bears, black bears,andmountainlions. Currently,whenanindividualsuffersloss,theymustcallAPHIS-WildlifeServices,a divisionwithinafederaldepartment, andhaveaninvestigatorcomeinspecttheinjuredordeadanimal. Wildlife Services follows a grading system of confirmed, probable, possible, or unknown and generally only observe the body. An individual can only receive compensation from federal government grants if the depredation is confirmed and state funding from wolf and grizzly bear loss when the depredation is confirmed or probable. Confirmed depredation is also a statistic to determine control of wildlife throughout the state. In its current form, once this single federal investigator makes a determination, that is the end of it. This bill would create an appeals board where three experts look at all the evidence and reconsider the determination of the initial federal investigator. This reconsideration would also assist the state in determining where control efforts should be prioritized. This board expends no money. They review all evidence. Having a closed-door meeting will help protect the identitiesandlocationsofthosewhoareappealingandallinvolvedintheappealsprocess. Moneyanindividual receives is still public information and will continue to be.

Adds to existing law to provide for human growth and development instruction in public schools.

This legislation requires Idaho public schools to provide human growth and development instruction for students in grades 5 through 12. The instruction will include scientifically accurate materials, such as ultrasound videos and animations, showing fetal development and the stages of human growth. The goal is to ensure students receive accurate and consistent education on human biology and development.

Adds to existing law to limit the liability of recreation clubs and their members.

This legislation is intended to encourage the formation of recreation clubs and participation in recreation activities organized by clubs by limiting the liability of volunteers and members from claims of injury from those that participate in activities with known and inherent dangers. Exceptions apply to allow claims for intentional conduct, gross negligence, and negligence.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the placement of an abandoned child.

This legislation amends Section 39-8202 of Idaho Code relating to the Safe Haven Act by defining terms and adding that the Department of Health and Welfare must maintain a list of licensed adoption agencies for placing abandoned children and transfer custody to a selected agency within 24 hours, unless exigent circumstances exist. If a child requires medical care and no adoptive family is found within 48 hours, the child remains in a hospital, and the court and prosecutor are notified for a shelter care hearing. If there is reason to believe the child is an Indian child, ICWA jurisdiction applies, and the department must send immediate notification to the child’s tribe or the Bureau of Indian Affairs, issuing all required notices within ten days.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding property ownership in the State of Idaho.

This bill amends Idaho Code Section § 55-103 by adding a new subsection (4). Currently Idaho Code Section § 55-103 prohibits a foreign government or foreign state-controlled enterprise from owning agricultural land, forestland, waterrights, miningclaims, ormineralrightsintheStateofIdaho. Howeverthecurrentstatutedoes not provide a framework for what happens if a foreign government or foreign state-controlled enterprise does own a prohibited property right. This bill creates a framework for the divestiture of the foreign government's ownership by allowing the Attorney General to petition an Idaho Court for a receivership allowing the State to seize and sell the foreign governments prohibited property right.

Relates to the appropriation to the Executive Office of the Governor for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Executive Office of the Governor provides enhancements to the FY 2026 budget that includes funding for IT replacement items and funding for America250.

Relates to the appropriation to the Commission on Aging for fiscal year 2026.

This is the enhancement appropriation to the Commission on Aging and includes $666,500 for the provision of three enhancement requests. The first enhancement provides a onetime federal fund appropriation for the agency to distribute remaining American Rescue Plan Act awards to local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) for onetime services and modernization projects. The second enhancement provides for an ongoing $155,000 General Fund appropriation, for a 3% increase in distributions provided to local AAAs, to address inflationary increases related to labor and operating expenses, which do not receive annual maintenance adjustments. This enhancement also includes $7,600 ongoing for inflationary increases for Commission staff to travel, audit, and train programs throughout the state. The final enhancement provides for the onetime replacement of IT hardware as recommended by the Office of Information and Technology Services.

Relates to the appropriation to the State Board of Education for community colleges for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to Community Colleges provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget. Thisappropriationprovidesanadditional$1,679,800tothemaintenanceappropriationprovidedtoCommunity Colleges found in House Bill 341 that includes additional funding for the enrollment workload adjustment and requires the Office of the State Board of Education to develop an outcomes based funding model for the Community Colleges. Table 1 shows incremental adjustments to the budget found in the bill, of which the ongoing increase is $1,679,800. Table 2 shows the adjustments leading to the FY 2026 Total. The total budget for the Community Colleges is $69,219,700 and provides support to the College of Eastern Idaho, College of Southern Idaho, College of Western Idaho, and North Idaho College.