This bill appropriates state funds to Idaho's Public Safety agencies, including the Department of Correction, Department of Juvenile Corrections, and Idaho State Police, for fiscal year 2027. It allocates specific amounts for personnel costs, operating expenses, capital outlay, and benefit payments across various correctional facilities and programs. The legislation also limits the number of authorized full-time equivalent positions and exempts the appropriation from certain program transfer restrictions. Additionally, it requires accountability reports and establishes conditions, limitations, and restrictions on how the funds can be used.
This bill appropriates state funds to the Idaho Department of Agriculture and related agencies for fiscal year 2027, covering personnel costs, operating expenses, and capital projects. It allocates money from various sources including the General Fund, agricultural fees, and federal grants to support programs like livestock disease control, plant industries, agricultural inspections, and market development. The legislation also sets limits on full-time equivalent positions, directs how broadband grants must be used, and provides continuous appropriation authority for certain departmental expenditures.
H 511 revises the surcharge for improved forest parcels on private land in Idaho, capping it at $100 per parcel (previously ranging up to $100). It directly affects private forest landowners who maintain improved parcels, requiring them to pay this annual surcharge to fund wildfire preparedness. The bill also updates assessment rules for forest landowners (65¢ per acre for over 26 acres, minimum $25 for 25 acres or less) and establishes a wildfire equipment replacement fund. The changes take effect July 1, 2026, following its passage by the Idaho House (46-22) on February 4, 2026.
This bill directs the Legislative Services Office to calculate and provide a reduction to the Governor's budget document for certain state entities. The reduction applies to organizations with 50 or more full-time equivalent positions and covers employee benefits, health insurance, and compensation costs. The calculation uses a five-year average of actual personnel expenditures divided by originally appropriated personnel costs, or all available years if the entity is newer. The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee may include these calculated reductions in appropriation bills for affected entities, and the change applies to all fund types.
Idaho's H 583 restricts local governments from banning short-term rentals or imposing most specific regulations on them, such as owner occupation requirements, professional management mandates, or rental day limits. It allows only basic safety measures (like smoke alarms and fire extinguishers) and requires counties/cities to treat short-term rentals equally with standard residential properties under zoning and building codes. The bill also prohibits local taxes on rental marketplaces (like Airbnb), instead requiring these platforms to collect and remit state and local lodging taxes to the state tax commission for distribution to local governments. This directly affects short-term rental owners, property managers, and online platforms operating in Idaho.
HJR 7 proposes repealing a constitutional ban (Section 5, Article IX) that currently prohibits Idaho from using public funds to support religious institutions or activities. If approved by voters, this amendment would allow the state legislature to fund religious organizations directly with taxpayer money, removing a long-standing constitutional barrier. The bill itself does not create new funding programs but eliminates the existing constitutional restriction on such appropriations. It is a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval at the next general election, having recently passed committee with a "Do Pass" recommendation.
