Idaho Bills

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding certain limitations on scholarships.

In 2025, seven of Idaho’s eight universities and community colleges had roughly 250 foreign national student-athletes, most, if not all, of whom received some level of scholarship/financial assistance. Each has the opportunity to a earn valuable degree, but those degrees typically won’t be put to work in Idaho or the anywhere else in the United States. Foreign national student athletes by-and-large take the fruits of their free or discounted higher education back to their home countries to the benefit their own country’s workforce. In order to increase the chances that Idaho’s higher education institutions will produce more graduates who can become valuable and productive members of the workforce here in the State of Idaho as well as the United States, this bill proposes to limit the number of foreign nationals that can receive scholarships while participating in sports and instead increase the number of Idaho and U.S. student athletes who can receive those scholarships who then graduate and enter our workforce. This bill will result in more Idaho and U.S. student athletes at Idaho colleges and universities who will graduate and thereafter can become new teachers, medical professionals, police officers, mining and forestry experts, and farmers and ranchers, to name a few, here in Idaho and the United States of America.

Amends existing law to revise a provision regarding the Project Choice program fee and the transfer of those funds to the General Fund in certain instances.

This proposal makes changes to Idaho Code 49-454 - PROJECT CHOICE and IC 67-2914 - Idaho Law Enforcement Fund Established. The Idaho State Police (ISP) has had difficulty recruiting and retaining commissioned peace officers, and one of the cited concerns for our troopers leaving has been pay. Almost 20 years ago, the legislature created the PROJECT CHOICE program fee of $3.00 on vehicle registration in Idaho Code 49-454. These funds are deposited into the Idaho Law Enforcement Fund, as outlined in Idaho Code Section 67-2914. It is proposed that the project choice program fee in IC 49-454 be increased from $3.00 to $12.00, allowing the ISP to fund adjustments to commissioned personnel salaries to remain competitive with law enforcement agencies that offer higher pay and attract/take our troopers. The PROJECT CHOICE FEE was created to assist ISP in recruiting and retaining staff. IC 67-2914 - Law Enforcement Fund Established, will dictate that when the CHOICE fund exceeds 200% of the current year's appropriation, those funds will be transferred to the general fund.

Amends existing law to provide for disturbing the peace of a religious worship, meeting, or event.

This legislation clarifies Idaho Code 18-6409 that disturbing the peace includes persons who maliciously and willfully disturb any assemblage of people gathered for religious worship. Disturbing the Peace is classified as a misdemeanor.

Adds to existing law to provide that funds distributed by the state Department of Education for certain purposes shall not be used for other purposes, to provide that misused funds shall be reimbursed to the state, and to provide for a certain deduction.

This bill states that funding appropriated and distributed by the state to school districts and public charter schools must be used for the intended purposes.

Adds to existing law to establish the Financial Accountability Stablecoin Transaction (FAST) Act to provide for the authorization and use of payment stablecoins.

This legislation establishes the Financial Accountability Stablecoin Transaction (FAST) Act in Title 67, Idaho Code, to authorize the optional use of certain federally qualified and public purpose-qualified payment stablecoins for state vendor and contractor payments. The act aligns Idaho law with the federal GENIUS Act, which governs payment stablecoins, including issuer qualifications, reserve requirements, and consumer protections. The bill directs the state treasurer and state controller, acting jointly, to maintain and publish a list of authorized payment stablecoins, establish compliance and risk management procedures, and submit an annual report to the Legislature detailing authorized stablecoins, transaction volumes, and estimated fiscal impacts. Vendors and contractors may elect, but are not required, to receive payment using an authorized payment stablecoin. The purpose of the act is to improve payment efficiency, reduce transaction costs, enhance transparency and auditability, and promote competition and innovation in financial infrastructure, while preserving legislative oversight and compliance with federal and state law.

Adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund and the Rural Health Transformation Committee.

The purpose of this legislation is to establish the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Program in state statute and to create the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund within the state treasury. This fund will receive federal grant moneys awarded to Idaho through the federal rural heath transformation program and any additional moneys appropriated by the Legislature. This legislation also establishes the Rural Health Transformation Committee, a legislative oversight body responsible for governance, review, and recommendations related to the use of rural health transformation funds. The committee will ensure funds are used solely for federally approved purposes, are distributed through a transparent and accountable process, and align with Idaho's approved rural health transformation plan. The committee will provide legislative oversight, require sustainability planning for funded initiatives, receive regular reports on expenditures and outcomes, and make recommendations to the Legislature regarding the use of funds. The act includes public reporting requirements and sunsets the committee once all funds have been expended. An emergency clause is included to allow timely implementation consistent with federal grant timelines. RS33184 rural health.

Adds to existing law to provide for the Legislative Services Office to provide the joint-finance appropriations committee with a calculated reduction from the governor's budget document.

This legislation directs LSO to perform a calculation of historical personnel expenditures compared to original personnel appropriations for each entity with 50 or more FTPs. That ratio is used by JFAC to reduce the agency’s requested amount for increases in employee compensation, benefits, and health insurance.

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding medical mandates.

Restores medical freedom for all Idahoans by removing vaccine mandate language from school and daycare laws. Makes minor improvements to the Medical Freedom Act. Prohibits local governments from preempting Medical Freedom Act. Changes the immunization information system back to opt in, which it was in the beginning of its creation. It is a privacy violation for an individual’s confidential medical records to be retained by the state without their knowledge and consent.

Amends existing law to remove language prohibiting a political subdivision from enacting a minimum wage that is higher than the state minimum wage.

This legislation restores the power of local government to establish an increased minimum wage should it elect to do so.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the practice of physician assistants.

Idaho has been a leader in scope of practice reform, and many past reforms aided Idaho’s application for Rural Health Transformation funds. Further, Idaho’s RHT application indicated that the state would explore the possibility of expanding scope of practice of physician assistants. To address existing provider shortages in this state, this bill expands the scope of practice for physician assistants to assess and treat a patient without physician supervision within the education, training, and experience of the physician assistant and the standard of community care.

Amends existing law to provide that freedom from discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity is a civil right.

This legislation adds the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the Idaho Human Rights Act, provides definitions for these terms, and amends the stated purpose of the Act consistent with the legislation's other amendments.

Adds to existing law to establish the Merit-Based Health Care Act.

The Merit-Based Health Care Act amends Title 56 of Idaho Code to require that Medicaid-funded employment and contracting decisions be based solely on merit, professional qualifications, and clinical competency. It prohibits discriminatory hiring and specified DEI practices—such as race- or sex-based preferences, mandatory bias training, and ideological pledges—while preserving exemptions for federal civil rights compliance, clinical data collection, and accredited medical training. Compliance is made a material condition of Medicaid participation, enforced by the Attorney General through civil penalties, with a limited private right of action for professionals facing retaliation.

Amends and adds to existing law to provide for a licensed midwife to obtain and administer medication indicated for maternal care or neonatal care if a midwife possesses requisite education, training, and experience.

This legislation will improve the practice of midwifery in the state of Idaho by removing unnecessary barriers and by deleting obsolete language regarding the formulary for licensed midwives.