This bill provides additional funding and staffing to Idaho's Office of the State Public Defender for fiscal year 2027. It allocates $505,100 total from state funds, including $250,900 for personnel costs and $250,500 for operating expenses, while also authorizing six additional full-time equivalent positions. The legislation includes an emergency declaration to take effect on July 1, 2026, ensuring the office has necessary resources to support public defense services during the fiscal year.
This bill allocates approximately $4.1 million in funding to Idaho's Judicial Branch for fiscal year 2027, covering court operations, trustee and benefit payments, and specific programs like drug courts and guardian ad litem services. The money comes from various existing funds, including the Court Technology Fund, Drug Court and Mental Health Court Fund, and the General Fund, and is designated for specific expense categories within district courts, magistrate divisions, and community-based substance use treatment services. The legislation includes an emergency declaration to ensure the funding takes effect immediately on July 1, 2026, allowing the Judicial Branch to access these resources without delay.
This bill appropriates $4.89 million to the Idaho State Police for fiscal year 2027, covering operating expenses and capital outlays for various programs and divisions. The funding is allocated across specific areas including brand inspection, investigations, patrol operations, law enforcement programs, support services, and the post academy, with money drawn from multiple state and federal funds. The legislation declares an emergency to allow the appropriation to take effect immediately on July 1, 2026, ensuring the Idaho State Police have the necessary resources for that fiscal year.
This Idaho bill (S 1260) revises state laws governing immigration enforcement. It removes outdated provisions about illegal entry, clarifies definitions (like "illegal alien" and "dangerous crime"), and changes penalties: first illegal entry becomes a misdemeanor, repeat offenses a felony. The law requires police to enforce these rules only when someone is detained for unrelated crimes, and adds specific defenses (e.g., having federal permission to stay, asylum status, or DACA approval between 2012-2021). It takes effect July 1, 2026.
H 681 eliminates the statute of limitations for specific serious crimes in Idaho, meaning prosecutors can file charges at any time regardless of when the offense occurred. It directly affects victims and law enforcement by removing time constraints for prosecuting murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, child sexual abuse (including lewd conduct with children), production of child sexual exploitation material, and terrorism. The bill amends Idaho Code Section 19-401 to explicitly state there is no time limit for these offenses. This change applies to all cases involving the listed crimes, allowing for potential prosecution years or decades after the incident.
This bill revises Idaho's legal definition of "sexual contact" to explicitly include specific sexual acts (like intercourse, genital contact, or oral contact) and any physical contact with sexual intent. It prohibits correctional facility employees (including private facility staff) and supervising officers from having such contact with prisoners, juvenile offenders, parolees, or probationers (unless the person is their spouse). Violations would be classified as felonies punishable by up to life imprisonment. The law is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
H 575 requires Idaho's State Controller to publish a public list of property seized through asset forfeiture cases. It mandates that state, county, and local law enforcement agencies report asset forfeiture details to the State Controller. The law applies specifically to property seized under Idaho's controlled substances laws (as defined in Section 37-2744). This creates a centralized, transparent record of these seizures for public access.
H 727 updates Idaho's laws on video voyeurism and the disclosure of realistic computer-generated media (like deepfakes). It revises definitions to better protect privacy, clarifying what constitutes "intimate areas" and places where people reasonably expect privacy, such as changing rooms or bedrooms. The bill creates a new offense for knowingly sharing synthetic media depicting an identifiable person in sexual acts or intimate areas without consent - this is a misdemeanor, but becomes a felony (up to 10 years in prison or $25,000 fine) if the victim is under 18 or the person has a prior conviction. This directly affects individuals who create or share such media without consent and law enforcement handling related cases.
This bill changes how Idaho pays counties for housing state prisoners in county jails. Counties will now receive $80 per day for the first seven days of each inmate's stay (up from $55), then $75 daily thereafter. The state must also cover all medical/dental costs for these inmates, and counties must bill the state every 60 days with payment due within 60 days. The changes take effect July 1, 2026, as an emergency measure.
This bill allocates $100.5 million to Idaho's Judicial Branch for fiscal year 2027, covering personnel costs, operating expenses, capital outlays, and benefit payments across various court divisions including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts. The legislation provides flexibility by exempting the Judicial Branch from certain expense transfer limits, allowing funds to move between categories as needed, and requires monthly transfers of uncommitted retirement contributions to the Judges' Retirement Fund. Additionally, the bill reappropriates up to $16.2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act for nonrecurring expenditures and sets an effective date of July 1, 2026.
