Idaho Bills

This bill requires clear labeling for alternative animal protein products, such as lab-grown meat and insect-based foods, sold in Idaho. It mandates that lab-grown meat products display terms like "lab-grown meat" prominently on packaging, while insect protein products must state "contains [common insect name]" (e.g., "contains crickets") on the front of packages and menus. Insect protein products must also list both the common name and scientific name (e.g., "cricket (Acheta domesticus)") in ingredient lists. The Idaho Department of Agriculture will enforce these rules and can impose civil penalties of up to $500 per violation for non-compliance. The law takes effect on July 1, 2025.

This Idaho bill (H 20) requires commercial vehicles hauling dirt, sand, or gravel on paved highways to cover their loads to prevent spillage, unless they maintain six inches of freeboard. It exempts government road maintenance crews, asphalt haulers, and agricultural transport of unprocessed products. Violators face a $200 fixed penalty, and the Idaho Transportation Department must notify law enforcement and the trucking industry by October 1, 2025. The law aims to reduce highway hazards from loose materials.

This Idaho bill (S 1008) repeals a law allowing public colleges and universities to restrict concealed weapons and adds a new rule prohibiting campus boards from regulating or banning the lawful concealed carry of firearms or ammunition. It directly affects all public colleges, universities, and community colleges in Idaho, including the University of Idaho and career technical schools, by preventing them from enforcing their own concealed weapon policies. The law requires these institutions to allow individuals with valid concealed carry permits (under existing Idaho law) to possess, carry, or transport firearms on campus. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.

This bill repeals Idaho Code § 46-802, which previously prohibited unorganized military associations and parades. It directly affects individuals or groups organizing such activities by removing the existing legal restriction. The key mechanism is simply eliminating the outdated prohibition, with no new requirements or penalties added. The repeal takes effect on July 1, 2025, after the legislature declared an emergency.

S 1010 declares that the World Health Organization (WHO) has no legal jurisdiction over Idaho's government, public health matters, or its citizens. The bill, codified as Idaho Code § 39-7301, prohibits the WHO from imposing rules, regulations, or programs on Idaho state agencies or residents, even if those originate from federal agreements with the WHO. This legislation directly affects Idaho's public health governance and citizens' legal relationship with the WHO. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025, and is categorized as a jurisdictional limitation rather than a health policy change.

H 17 establishes the Idaho Wildfire Risk Mitigation and Stabilization Pool to help homeowners and property owners in high-risk wildfire areas access affordable insurance. The bill creates a fund financed by participating insurers through "participation charges," which will provide grants, matching programs, and education to reduce wildfire risks in designated "target areas" where insurance is hard to obtain. A 12-member board - representing insurers, consumers, fire officials, and legislators - will manage the pool and fund distribution. This aims to stabilize the property insurance market by reducing concentrated risk and improving community wildfire mitigation.

This Idaho bill (S 1004) amends the state’s civil rights law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, public accommodations, housing, and education. It directly affects all Idaho residents and businesses operating within the state by expanding existing protections under Sections 67-5901 and 67-5909 of the Idaho Code. Key provisions include adding "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to protected categories in anti-discrimination language and defining "gender identity" in Section 67-5902(18). The bill is currently pending in the State Affairs committee after being introduced in January 2025.

This bill prohibits Idaho state and local governments from requiring electric vehicle (EV) charging stations or designated EV parking spaces in building plans. It directly affects local municipalities, developers, and building code enforcement by blocking new local regulations that might mandate these features. The law preempts any existing or future local ordinances, rules, or regulations that impose such requirements on building plans. If enacted, it would prevent cities or counties from adding EV infrastructure mandates to their building codes, shifting authority to state-level policy.

Idaho's H 11 bill creates new state criminal offenses for illegal entry into Idaho from a foreign nation without using a lawful port of entry (misdemeanor for first offense, felony for repeat offenses) and for illegal reentry after removal (felony under specific circumstances like prior drug or violent crimes). It establishes a court-issued "order to return" mechanism requiring undocumented individuals to leave the state, with specific conditions like fingerprinting and security database checks before issuance. The bill also prohibits courts from halting prosecutions based on pending federal immigration status determinations and provides civil immunity for state and local officials handling these cases. This law directly affects undocumented immigrants entering Idaho without legal status and state/local officials enforcing immigration-related criminal provisions.

Idaho's H 12 restricts foreign entities from certain countries (including China, Russia, and Iran) from purchasing or owning farmland, forest land, water rights, mining claims, or mineral rights near military bases or sensitive state assets. It requires existing foreign-owned agricultural land to be divested within 180 days, mandates registration with the state agriculture department, and creates a whistleblower reward system (30% of sale proceeds) for reporting violations. The law directly affects foreign governments, state-controlled enterprises, and "foreign adversaries" defined in the bill, excluding pre-existing holdings and foreign pension funds. Key provisions include a 5% ownership exception for publicly traded companies and penalties including judicial foreclosure for non-compliance.

This Idaho bill (H 5) creates legal immunity for school-based behavioral threat assessment teams (BTAM teams) and their members who follow established protocols. It protects these teams from lawsuits if they act in good faith using Idaho’s BTAM guidelines to assess student risks of targeted violence (premeditated attacks on specific people/places), provided they don’t violate privacy, parental rights, or gun laws. The law requires the state school safety program to provide BTAM guidelines and training to all public schools and charter schools. It takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies directly to school districts, charter schools, and their BTAM team members.

This Idaho bill (H 4) requires all state agencies, the legislative branch, judicial branch, and elected constitutional officers to implement cybersecurity best practices and use two-step login verification (multifactor identification) for accessing government IT systems. It mandates that state employees must use at least two distinct verification methods - like a password plus a security token or biometric scan - to access email, cloud storage, databases, or networks. The law applies to all departments, institutions, and branches of state government, excluding the military division. It takes effect on July 1, 2025, and aims to strengthen data protection against cyber threats.