Idaho Bills

Amends existing law to limit the time during which a temporary guardianship may be extended, to provide that a court must take certain action prior to the end of the extension period, and to provide that no temporary guardianship may last longer than 12 months.

This bill adds clarity to ensure that a temporary guardianship remains temporary and cannot be extended or continued indefinitely to constitute de facto termination of parental rights. Temporary guardianships are intended to only be granted for six months but the current statute may be subject to vague interpretation. This bill directs the courts to follow the six month statutory direction but does allow for a temporary guardianship to be continued once for an additional six months, but in no case for more than twelve months, if the court finds good cause for such extension. While these cases are rare, if there are any such cases in Idaho, this bill also includes an emergency clause to ensure any such cases are resolved immediately to ensure adherence to the statutory intent.

Amends existing law to revise the maximum number on a board of directors for certain insurers.

This bill corrects a historical anomaly in Chapter 28 of Title 41, Idaho Code, concerning insurance companies, and the maximum number of directors allowed by law to sit on certain insurance companies’ Boards of Directors. The bill expands from 15 to 25 the maximum number of directors who may sit on the Board of a domestic insurance company, under Section 41-2835(1). This change would create a consistent rule by matching the 25 maximum number of directors currently allowed to sit on the Board of a service corporation which converted to mutual insurer, under Section 41-2835(5), which is existing law.

Amends and adds to existing law to define terms and to revise state budget terminology to be uniform and consistent.

This bill makes corrections and establishes consistency of terms used in Idaho Code for the State’s budgeting process and financial accounting system. This bill also provides further clarification on Idaho Code §67-3512 dealing with encumbrances at the end of a fiscal year. Implementation of the State Controller’s Luma Project to modernizetheState’sagingbusinessinformationinfrastructurehasresultedinthedevelopmentofstandardized budgeting and financial accounting processes and systems. Budgeting and financial structures enacted in Idaho Code have been incorporated into these modernized systems. However, the terms used in the current Idaho Codearenotalwaysconsistent. Consistentuseofbudgetingandfinancialtermswillgreatlybenefitmembersof the Legislature when writing appropriation bills and creating funds. Consistent terminology will also enhance the Controller’s ability to administer state appropriations and funds. This bill creates a new definitions section in Chapter 35, Title 67 (State Budget) and establishes consistent use of terms in Chapter 35 (State Budget), Chapter 12, (State Treasurer), and Chapter 10, (State Controller). This bill also separates an encumbrance, which occurs for legal obligations throughout the fiscal year, from the process of carrying it forward at the end of the fiscal year. Encumbrances not liquidated before the end of the fiscal year are defined as executive carry forward. Adding this term helps to resolve potential misconceptions and confusion, to distinguish the end-of-year process from an encumbrance, and to explicitly state what is implicit in the current language. Additionally, it provides that liquidation of an executive carry forward shall be recorded as an expenditure only in the fiscal year it is liquidated. These changes allow the process required in the new Luma system to be in-line with Idaho Code. This bill is a collaborative effort of the Budget & Policy Analysis Divisions of the Legislative Services Office, the Division of Fina

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Health and Welfare for fiscal year 2022.

This is the FY 2022 original appropriation bill for the Department of Health and Welfare for the Divisions of Child Welfare, Services for the Developmentally Disabled, and Service Integration. It appropriates a total of $121,597,500 and caps the number of authorized full-time equivalent positions at 747.51. For benefit costs, the bill maintains the current appropriated amount for health insurance at $11,650 per eligible FTP, extends the holiday for the employer's sick leave contribution rate for another year, and restores funding for the employer's unemployment insurance contribution rate. The bill also provides funding for the equivalent of a 2% change in employee compensation for permanent state employees. The bill funds one line item, which provides $1,724,000 in onetime federal funds for the allocation through the COVID Relief Act for the Child Welfare Foster and Assistance Payments programs.

Relates to the appropriation to the Idaho Transportation Department for fiscal year 2021.

ThisisanFY2021supplementalappropriationbillfortheIdahoTransportationDepartmentfortheAeronautics Program and the Contract Construction and Right-of-Way Acquisition Division. For the Aeronautics Program, thebillprovidesanappropriationandtransferfromtheGeneralFundtotheStateAeronautics(Dedicated)Fund and provides an appropriation from the State Aeronautics (Dedicated) Fund. In the Contract Construction and Right-of-Way Acquisition Division, the bill provides an appropriation and cash transfer from the General Fund to dedicated funds and provides an appropriation from the Strategic Initiatives Program (Dedicated) Fund and from the Strategic Initiatives Program (Local) Fund.

Repeals and amends existing law to remove provisions relating to obsolete public assistance programs.

Consistent with the Governor's Red Tape Reduction Act, this bill seeks to eliminate inactive provisions of law. The Department of Health and Welfare recently reviewed Idaho Code to identify obsolete sections which may be stricken from Idaho Code without impact for our programs. The sections being stricken relate to a weight control pilot project that was completed prior to 2007 and to a health insurance assistance program that became obsolete when the state Health Insurance Exchange, Your Health Idaho, was implemented in 2014.

Amends and adds to existing law to revise provisions regarding membership, to provide for the terms of members, and to provide for vacancies.

This legislation updates and clarifies the code section on magistrates commissions, the commission in each judicial district that appoints magistrate judges. This bill does 3 things: 1) Allows the administrative district judge to fill a temporary county clerk vacancy on the commission if the county clerk member by law because of conflict of interest cannot participate in an appointment of a magistrate. (The administrative district judge alreadydoesthistofillatemporaryvacancyinthemagistratejudgememberoncommissionforsimilarconflicts in law.) 2) Reduce confusion about when terms expire by designating positions for each commission member (e.g. Mayors A, B, and C; Electors A and B; Attorneys A and B). 3) Shortens the terms of the commissioners from six years to five years in order to space out the expiring terms and prevent all 35 vacancies occurring at once.

Relates to the appropriation to the Wolf Depredation Control Board for fiscal year 2022.

This is the FY 2022 original appropriation bill for the Wolf Depredation Control Board, which appropriates a total of $392,000 from the General Fund. Enabling legislation passed in 2014 found that additional financial resources are needed to continue the implementation of Idaho's Wolf management plan administered by the Department of Fish and Game. H470 established a five-member Wolf Depredation Control Board in the Governor's Office and created a set of new funds and subaccounts to be administered by the Department of Agriculture. The law established fees from the livestock industry, to be matched up to $110,000 per year by sportsmen, to be transferred into the Wolf Control Fund. The responsibility of the Wolf Control Board is to allocate the money for control actions for wolves where there is a depredation conflict between wolves and wildlife or between wolves and livestock. The board has a cooperative services agreement and a work plan with both the Department of Fish and Game and Wildlife Services. Fish and Game authorizes control actions when wolves are causing conflicts with people, domestic animals, and significant measured deer and elk population declines.

Relates to the appropriation to the Office of the State Controller for fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022.

This is an FY 2021 supplemental appropriation bill for the Office of the State Controller. It provides $51,774,300 to be distributed to units of local government in Idaho with populations under 50,000 pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Adds to existing law to prohibit a public entity from entering into certain contracts with companies that boycott Israel.

This legislation will prohibit public entities from entering into contracts that will boycott goods or services from Israel or territories under its control. The provisions of this legislation shall not apply to contracts with a total potential value of less than one hundred thousand dollars or to contractors with fewer than ten employees.

Amends existing law to provide that a tenant's security deposit shall be held in a separate account.

Requires security deposits for rentals managed by a third party manager be held in a separate account at a federally insured financial institute.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Health and Welfare for fiscal year 2022.

This is an FY 2022 trailer appropriation bill for the Department of Health and Welfare. It addresses the fiscal impact of H336, which extends the length of foster care from 18 to 21 years of age in limited circumstances.

Amends existing law to provide that school officials shall provide parents and guardians with certain information in communications regarding student immunizations.

This legislation requires school officials to notify parents or guardians of their right to vaccine exemptions. Exemptions for preschool through grade twelve students exist in Idaho code 39-4802. With the addition of this legislation, any notifications to parents or guardians regarding vaccinations must include a verbal description of their right to exempt their child.

Amends existing law to provide for the ability of certain disabled veterans to transfer their veteran's property tax reduction and homestead exemption upon a change of homestead.

This legislation allows a qualified disabled veteran who has applied before April15th for the special property tax reduction outlined in Idaho Code Section 63-702 and 63-705A, to transfer their property tax reduction or occupancy tax reduction benefit upon changing their residence to a new residence after April 15 but before October 1st.