Legislative Update--Senator Mark Harris
Dear Friends and Neighbors —
The First Regular Session of the 68th Idaho Legislature has proved to be a very interesting Legislative Session. I have the privilege of serving again on the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, the Senate Resources and Environment Committee, and the Senate State Affairs Committee. I also have the honor of being elected by my peers to serve as the Assistant Majority Leader of the Idaho State Senate. Most of all, it continues to be both an honor and a privilege to represent and serve the good people of Legislative District 35 that includes the citizens of five Idaho Counties (Bannock, Bear Lake, Bonneville, Caribou, and Teton).
During this busy Legislative Session, we have heard a record number of bills including State policy bills and bills paying for those policies. The following are some of the bills and/or issues I either sponsored or supported this Session:
2025 produced a record number of tax cut bills. House Bill 40 (H40) was a $250 million income tax piece of legislation we passed early in the Session. H40 reduces the corporate and personal income tax rate from 5.695% to 5.3%. The bill also includes an income tax exemption for disabled military veterans under the age of 62, removes capital gains taxes, and removes losses on precious metals from Idaho income taxes.
Another significant tax reduction bill is House Bill 231 (H231). This piece of legislation increases the grocery tax credit Idahoans receive at the end of the year from $120 per person to $155 per person. This increase in the grocery tax credit will put more money in the pockets of Idaho citizens. The other benefit to this tax credit is the amount of money out-of-staters and nonresidents pay when they visit Idaho, and that grocery tax goes toward our schools and roads. H231 is a $50 million savings for Idaho taxpayers.
The third tax reduction bill passed this Session is House Bill 304 (H304) which is a property tax reduction piece of legislation. H304 is a $100 million tax relief bill. It puts $50 million in an existing School Facilities Fund that was established in 2023 with House Bill 292. This money will be distributed to school districts based on average daily attendance. The funds will go towards paying off school bonds and levies. The other $50 million goes towards property tax reduction on owner-occupied homes. People should see reductions of 5% on school bonds and levies, and a 9% reduction in property taxes for owner-occupied homes. Altogether, this Session has produced nearly $400 million in tax cuts for Idahoans.
I was pleased to see House Bill 206 (H206) and House Bill 207 (H207) pass and signed into law this year by Governor Little. These bills deal with the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Idaho. Three years ago, we discovered through a study by the Office of Performance Evaluation, that EMS in Idaho was not classified as an “essential service” like police and fire departments even though EMS workers are the ones who respond to accidents, disasters, and 9-1-1 calls. After three years of work by a dedicated group of individuals, we finally were able to get legislation passed to put EMS under an umbrella that will provide them with the resources and attention they need to serve our communities, especially our rural communities.
H206 moves EMS out of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, into the Idaho Military Division, and declares EMS critical to the health and safety of Idahoans. H207 moves the EMS interstate compact to the Military Division so that EMS can cross State lines and vice versa. I must thank Representative Mark Sauter (LD-1) and Senator Carl Bjerke (LD-5), both retired EMTs, for carrying these bills in the House and the Senate.
Water was an especially important issue this Legislative Session as both the Governor and the Legislature put an emphasis on allocating an ongoing $30 million for water projects across the State. House Bill 445 (H445) provides funding for aquifer monitoring, measuring, and funding water infrastructure projects. This is important for Eastern Idaho because of the agreement between the ground water users and the surface water users that was made last fall.
Another significant piece of legislation is House Bill 345 (H345) which is an overhaul of the Medicaid system in Idaho. H345 set up a cost sharing plan as well as requesting a work requirement for Medicaid federal recipients. The bill also moves medical providers from a Value Care Organization (VCO) system to what is called a Managed Care Organization (MCO) system. An MCO is basically a health care plan managed by insurance companies; a system created to save money. H345 also changes the way hospitals are reimbursed from the Medicaid system. It is important to note, this bill does not get rid of Medicaid, like previous legislative renditions did. H345, if set up correctly, should save the State several millions of dollars and sustain the State Medicaid system in Idaho. The concern is that if we do nothing and continue along our current path, Medicaid costs will spiral out of control.
An issue brought to my attention early in the Session was that part-time employees could not legally work for both mortuaries and county coroners. In counties larger than 20,000 residents, Idaho Code dictated that any employee, owner, or mortician could not work for or become a county coroner. Coroners are always looking for trained help, and employees of morticians are high on the list of potentially qualified candidates. My Senate Bill 1121 (S1121) removed the restrictions for mortuary employees so they can now work for coroners and/or mortuaries.
I was involved in many other pieces of legislation this year. You can find more in-depth information about every bill at https://legislature.idaho.gov/. I take every piece of legislation seriously, I study the pros and cons, and I consider any concerns voiced by my constituents before casting my vote. I do my best to represent your concerns!
I appreciate all of you who’ve reached out to me this Session. It is an honor to serve as your State Senator. I read my email even when the Senate is not in session, so I invite you to contact me at [email protected].
Most sincerely,
Mark Harris
