Counties across Idaho could soon get a bit of a break when it comes to housing state prisoners at their jails.
House lawmakers easily passed House Bill 556 Monday morning, which would boost the daily reimbursement rate to $80. That’s up from $55 a day.
The amount still falls short of the average daily cost for counties of $106.37.
Based on December’s count of 1,275 state inmates housed at county jails, the current reimbursement rate only pays for about 70% of the total cost with the rest falling to local residents.
“We need this burden to be taken off our taxpayers in the Twin Falls counties or Jerome counties or Blaine counties,” said Rep. Mike Pohanka (R-Jerome).
There was some opposition within the Republican majority. Ten legislators voted against the bill, saying they worry about the budget implications.
If signed into law, the measure would cost the state $3.1 million.
Rep. James Petzke (R-Meridian) said state lawmakers need to increase the reimbursement rate – just not this year.
“To take on something that’s an additional $3.1 million ongoing, there’s going to be consequences in our budget if we take this on,” Petzke said.
As a member of the budget committee, he said they’ve had long discussions behind closed doors over amounts as little as a couple thousand dollars.
Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee co-chair, Rep. Josh Tanner (R-Eagle), made a similar pitch. He said JFAC still has to come up with about $15 million to come up with a positive ending balance.
Rep. Charlie Shepherd (R-Pollock) wasn’t unsympathetic to the argument.
“But we have a bigger problem with money at the county level when we are taxing people out of their home,” said Shepherd. “Our property tax payers should not have to [front the bill] for whatever’s going on statewide.”
The bill ultimately passed 59-10 and now goes to the state Senate.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
