Idaho Bills

Adds to existing law to provide legislative approval for and to establish provisions regarding assertive community treatment.

This legislation establishes Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Idaho Code and provides legislative approval for the Department of Health and Welfare to seek a Medicaid state plan amendment to deliver ACT as a rehabilitative service ACT is an intensive, community-based behavioral health service model for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness who have not been adequately served through traditional clinic-based or episodic care. ACT teams are multidisciplinary and provide 24-hour, 7-day-a-week services delivered primarily in community settings. Services include integrated psychiatric care, medical coordination, substance use treatment, rehabilitative supports, peer support, and crisis response. Currently, ACT operates under administrative rule. This legislation moves the program into statute to clearly define eligibility, team structure, service delivery standards, fidelity requirements, outcome measures, and reimbursement methodology. By codifying ACT, the Legislature establishes clear parameters for accountability, ensures adherence to nationally recognized fidelity standards, and provides long-term program stability. ACT is designed to reduce repeated hospitalizations, incarceration, and emergency system use while improving housing stability, functional capacity, and community integration for participants. This bill formalizes Idaho’s commitment to delivering evidence-based, recovery-oriented mental health services in the least restrictive, most appropriate setting.

Amends and adds to existing law to provide requirements for statutory authorization of all Department of Health and Welfare programs and services and all appropriations for any program, service, or activity.

This legislation reaffirms the Legislature's constitutional role in authorizing state programs and expenditures by clarifying that the Department of Health and Welfare may operate only those programs and services that are expressly authorized in Idaho Code. The bill amends existing statutes to require the Director of the Department of Health and Welfare to continuously monitor programs for statutory authorization and to discontinue any program or service lacking express authority. It establishes enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance, including revocation of spending authority and corresponding appropriation adjustments when unauthorized expenditures occur. The bill also requires the Department of Health and Welfare to submit a comprehensive report identifying all programs it operates and the statutory authority supporting each program. Additionally, the bill clarifies that appropriation acts do not themselves create or imply independent program authority. The purpose of this legislation is to strengthen legislative oversight, improve transparency, ensure statutory compliance, and maintain proper separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches.

Amends and adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Child Care Program.

RS33780 / S1419 This legislation strengthens program integrity within Idaho’s child care assistance program by establishing stronger safeguards to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse and to ensure public funds are used appropriately. The bill creates clearer documentation and verification requirements for providers participating in the program and strengthens the authority of the Department of Health and Welfare to investigate suspected fraud, suspend payments when irregularities are identified, recover improper payments, and impose meaningful penalties for intentional program violations. It also requires the use of modern fraud detection tools capable of identifying suspicious billing patterns, attendance irregularities, and other indicators of abuse within the program. Together, these reforms improve accountability, protect taxpayer dollars, and strengthen oversight of the child care assistance system while maintaining the existing program that supports Idaho families.

Amends and adds to existing law to provide for suspension of driver's licenses when a person is 30 days or more delinquent in paying the penalty for a moving traffic infraction.

In 2018, the Idaho Legislature changed the enforcement procedures for unpaid traffic citations and for unpaid misdemeanor/felony traffic related incidents. The practice of suspending driving privileges for unpaid fines was eliminated. The courts were empowered to collect the unpaid fines through civil procedures. Since the implementation of this change, drivers have learned their unsafe driving practices had fewer consequences. Additionally, the amount of unpaid traffic fines increased from approximately $1 million to $24 million ($3 million /year). The Idaho courts estimate there are over 125,000 drivers with unpaid traffic fines. This legislation will empower the courts and the Idaho DMV to suspend driving privileges when traffic related fines are not paid after appropriate notice.

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding artifical intelligence medical services.

RS33690 / H0945 This legislation establishes the AI Medical Services Act, creating a state licensure framework for artificial intelligence systems that deliver clinical health care services to patients. The bill establishes the Board of Autonomous Medical Practice within the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses to license and oversee Artificial Intelligence Augmented and Autonomous Service Providers (AAASPs), including the use of a regulatory sandbox to evaluate safety and performance. The act provides transparency, consumer protections, clinical integrity standards, and enforcement authority. By creating a clear regulatory pathway for AI-enabled clinical services that would otherwise remain legally uncertain or effectively unavailable, the legislation expands access to care while supporting medical innovation.

Adds to existing law to provide for an action to enforce state law.

Some of Idaho laws governing the actions public officials, public employees, and state and local governmental entities include an enforcement mechanism for ensuring that Idaho laws are followed. Many such laws, however, do not include any specific enforcement mechanism. In the event that public officials’ oath of office, whereby they promise to uphold the laws of the State of Idaho, is insufficient to ensure that Idaho’s laws are followed, this legislation provides a mechanism by which the Idaho Attorney General can go to court and force a public official, public employee, or state or local governmental entity to follow the law.

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding the Governor's authority regarding active duty combat service of the organized milita.

The legislation embodies the intent of our founding fathers and follows the principles and provisions contained in the United States Constitution, specifically Article 1, Section 8. Congress has the executive power to declare war under our United States Constitution. The federal executive branch has exceeded its constitutional authority by calling up the state components of the National Guard in what are really warfighting operations, without a congressional declaration of war. The men and women in the Idaho National Guard must not be called into active-duty combat operations on foreign soil unless there has been a congressional declaration of war. This legislation does not impact the Governor's ability to mobilize the Idaho Guard as outlined in Article 4, Section 4 of the Idaho Constitution. It also does not limit the United States ability to call up the Idaho National Guard for training missions as provided in Title 10, United States Code. This legislation prohibits mobilization of the Idaho National Guard for combat actions unless there has been a corresponding congressional declaration or war.

Adds to existing law to establish the Pediatric Secretive Transitions Parental Rights Act.

In 2023 the Idaho legislature passed H71 banning pediatric gender mutilation. This legislation, the "Pediatric Transitions Parental Rights Act" seeks to expand upon those protections and reinforce the fundamental right of parents and guardians to oversee the medical and social upbringing of their children. The bill prohibits "covered entities"—including healthcare providers, educational institutions, and mandated reporters of child abuse – from facilitating a minor’s medical sex transition or "social transition" (the adoption of new names, pronouns, or appearances) without the express written informed consent of the child’s parent or guardian. It prevents these entities from withholding information from parents regarding a child’s expressed interest in or desire for such transitions. The act establishes a civil cause of action for aggrieved parents, providing for statutory damages and authorizes the Attorney General to investigate violations, seek writs of mandamus, and levy civil penalties

Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding maternity price transparency and disclosure.

The purpose of this legislation is to increase transparency for maternity care costs in Idaho hospitals. It requires hospitals that provide labor and delivery services to clearly display comprehensive, consumer-friendly pricing for uncomplicated vaginal and cesarean births, including standard services and common additional charges, on a single, easily accessible page within their price estimator tool.

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law to provide for campaign finance transparency.

Idaho’s campaign finance laws, commonly referred to as the “Sunshine Laws,” were enacted in 1974 through a citizen initiative to increase transparency of money spent on political campaigns and lobbying activities. This legislation revises and reorganizes campaign finance statutes from their 1974 version by moving the provisions from Title 67, Chapter 66, State Government and State Affairs, to Title 74, Chapter 3, Transparent and Ethical Government. This drastically improves reporting clarity and strengthens enforcement in response to increased financial activity and evolving campaign practices. This legislation also expands transparency requirements related to the ballot initiative process, referendum campaigns, and independent expenditures. These provisions provide clearer disclosure of funding sources, reporting of activity, communications intended to influence voters outside of candidate campaigns, and prohibit foreign contributions for ballot measures. In addition, the legislation adds one additional pre-primary and one pre-general campaign finance report, updates contribution and expenditure limitations, and establishes a revised fine structure for reporting violations that balances appropriate penalties for small campaign violations as compared to larger campaign violations. Overall, the legislation modernizes and strengthens disclosure requirements and ensures campaign finance laws are transparent and enforceable.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the election of commissioners in certain single countywide highway districts.

This legislation changes the process by which highway district commissioners are elected in a countywide highway district to match the process by which county officials are elected. Specifically, it would match the process by which county commissioners are elected. Like county commissioners, countywide highway district commissioners will need to reside within the district they represent and will be elected countywide. Also, like county commissioners, they will file for nomination in the even-year May primary, and then the primary winners will run for election in the even-year general election. The process by which county commissioners are elected is well-understood and ensures that countywide commissioners are elected on the broadest possible basis.

States findings of the House of Representatives and provides that all temporary and pending rules of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources have been reviewed and approved by the House Resources and Conservation Committee, with exceptions.

RS33826 / HR033 The House Resources and Conservation Committee has considered the pending Administrative Rules for the following State Agencies: Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game, Idaho Dept. of Lands, Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation, and the Idaho Dept. of Water Resources, and this proposed legislation reflects the results of those considerations.