OCCUPATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING – Amends and adds to existing law to provide for equivalency between high school graduation and graduation from a nonpublic school for licensing requirements.

Idaho bill S 1285 creates a new standard allowing graduates of nonpublic high schools to meet the high school diploma requirement for occupational licenses. The bill amends multiple licensing statutes (including podiatry and mortician licensing) to require that licensing authorities treat nonpublic school diplomas as equivalent to diplomas from accredited public schools or a GED. This change directly affects individuals who graduated from nonpublic schools seeking licenses in professions like podiatry, mortuary science, or other regulated fields. The key mechanism is a new section (67-9419) mandating that licensing boards accept nonpublic school diplomas as fulfilling the standard high school graduation requirement.