Legislative Updates - End of Legislative Session
Representative Mike Veile
As the 2026 legislative session has now concluded, I want to share a few final thoughts on the work of this year’s Idaho House of Representatives.
One of the Legislature’s dominant objectives this session was balancing both the 2026 and 2027 state budgets in light of significant tax reductions. The tax cuts approved in 2025 totaled approximately $450 million, and the One Big Beautiful Bill added another estimated $155–$200 million in state tax relief. Those decisions resulted in budget holdbacks for 2026 and a tighter budget framework for 2027.
A great deal of legislation continued moving through the process right up to the final hours of the session. In my view, that is not a particularly transparent way to conduct the public’s business. Too many bills were shuffled through different committees and brought to the floor for a vote before legislators — and certainly the public — had sufficient time to fully understand what was being proposed. I do not believe that process encourages meaningful public input or well-informed legislative decisions.
While the K–12 budget was largely left intact for the year, it still did not provide for raises for teaching personnel. In addition, as I have previously written, the Legislature continued its ongoing reduction of support for IDLA, the Idaho Digital Learning Academy, which provides online supplemental coursework for public school students. Rather than advancing a policy bill to make those changes directly, the Legislature ultimately chose to impose a 50% budget cut.
A couple of bills that passed the House did not make it through the Senate on the final day of the session. The first was S1247, which had originally been an E-Verify bill but was heavily amended into legislation requiring local law enforcement agencies to attend training and enter into a memorandum of understanding with ICE under the 287(g) program. The Senate did not look favorably on that kind of last-minute amendment process.
The second was H621aaH, which would have prohibited restrictions on weapons in courthouses except in actual courtrooms and certain ancillary rooms. Because it was brought forward at the very end of the session, the Senate did not have adequate time to fully vet and consider the bill before the session ended.
One of the concerns raised about both of these proposals was that their fiscal notes did not account for the costs that counties and cities would bear if the bills became law. For example, many counties would have needed to move security checkpoints and metal detectors from general county building entrances to courtroom entrances while also hiring additional security personnel. That could have created millions of dollars in new local costs. Likewise, the expenses associated with participation in 287(g) training would also have fallen heavily on counties. I think there is path for these bills but the full cost should be considered.
Serving District 35 this session has been both a fascinating experience and a tremendous honor. I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to represent the people of Bear Lake, Caribou, Teton, Bannock, and Bonneville counties in the Idaho House. Thank you for the trust you place in me, and I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of our communities.
Representative Mike Veile
District 35 A
Senator Mark Harris
As it comes to an end, the Second Regular Session of the 68th Idaho Legislature proved to be an interesting one. First, however, I want to thank you and remind you what an honor it has always been for me to represent the great people of our Legislative District 35 in the Idaho State Senate. As such, I have the privilege of serving on the Senate State Affairs Committee, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, and the Senate Resources and Environment Committee. This Session also marked my second year serving as the Idaho Senate Assistant Majority Leader. In past Sessions, I served in Senate Leadership as the Idaho Senate Majority Caucus Chair.
As opposed to previous Legislative Sessions, this year’s State budget had to deal with a budget shortfall. As a result, we have had to make tough decisions with some budget cutbacks in order to balance our State budget as required by the Idaho Constitution. At his State of the State address on day-one of this Legislative Session, Governor Little ordered a 3% cut across all State agencies and departments. However, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare had to make an additional 1% cut to some programs for a total of 4% overall budget cuts.
I wish to specifically address one of the Medicaid budgets we heard and debated this Session. In the end, there was a 4% cut across the board for this budget, which is expected to save around $36 million for FY 2026 and $45 million for FY 2027. Among the services eliminated or reduced because of these cuts were the Early Serious Mental Illness program, Adult Peer Support Services, homes for Adult Residential Treatment, and mileage reimbursement for providers. The cost of implementing cuts to these services will amount to about $4 million in FY 2026 and $6 million for FY 2027. These program cuts will likely present problems in the future.
Education budgets for K-12 made out pretty good this Session. There were no cuts or holdbacks for things like teacher pay. The problem is that school districts will have to pay more in operating expenses such as building maintenance and diesel costs for buses. Health insurance costs are going up, and overall school budgets have not had an increase for expenditures since the 2023-2024 budget year. My fear is these costs will be hard to catch up with as we continue to defer any increases.
We also worked on other legislation that will affect the lives of Idahoans. One piece of legislation that I sponsored with Senator Kelly Anthon (LD-27 and Senate President Pro-Tem), was Senate Bill 1389 (S1389). This bill limits the liability of property owners who allow their facilities, at no charge, to be used as polling places for Idaho elections. The legislation reduces barriers for property owners to offer their facilities as polling locations, and it provides clear legal protection for nonprofits hosting elections without jeopardizing their tax exemption. This legislation will increase the availability of polling places for county election officials. It is a good bill and will be especially helpful to many of our rural communities.
Another bill I sponsored was Senate Bill 1326 (S1326). This is a piece of legislation I sponsored with Senator Jim Guthrie (LD-28 and Chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee). This bill is a meaningful reaffirmation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and a protection of private property. It sets clear Constitutional boundaries for both State and federal agencies and departments by stating they must have either permission from the property’s owner or a court-ordered warrant to enter private property. Members of the Legislature have been hearing stories of State employees entering private property without permission from the owners and causing problems. S1326 helps make government employees more accountable and careful when entering private property.
Another issue I have been involved in is the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) fund. With the passage of last year’s House Bill 345 (H345), coupled with the 4% Medicaid cuts this year, and the passage of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act in Washington, DC, our rural hospitals have been struggling to make ends meet. To help our rural health care providers, the U.S. Congress appropriated $50 billion to the states. Idaho is set to receive $929 million over the next five years. This money will be appropriated by the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) along with a committee of legislators appointed by the Senate’s President Pro-Tem and the Speaker of the House to prepare for the allocation of about $186 million per year. These funds are very important to our hospitals, and we need to get it to them as soon as possible.
There were other important pieces of legislation we considered and passed this year. You can read about all pieces of legislation and any legislative action taken at www.legislature.Idaho.gov.
Finally, I take the responsibility of representing Legislative District 35 very seriously and it was a pleasure working with Representative Josh Wheeler and Representative Mile Veile. We work together as a legislative team very well. I appreciate all those that have reached out to me during this Legislative Session and sharing your thoughts and concerns. I always try to do my best to keep up with your emails, texts, and phone calls. Thank you for your involvement in continuing to make Idaho the best State in our great country.
