On Friday, Gov. Brad Little knocked out the remaining backlog of bills left on his desk, including several controversial measures that received significant debate at the legislature this year.
Here are a few of the ones we’ve been following for the past four months.
Medicaid work requirements
Idahoans hoping to enroll for health insurance under the state’s Medicaid expansion program will soon have to prove they’ve been working, enrolled in school or volunteering for the past three months in order to qualify.
Gov. Brad Little signed into law House Bill 913 Friday to comply with federal changes made to Medicaid expansion eligibility last summer.
The One Big Beautiful Bill lets states choose a lookback period between one and three months.
Sponsors of Idaho’s proposal said the maximum lookback period will help ensure enrollees aren’t temporarily getting a job to receive taxpayer-funded health coverage.
Once enrolled, federal law will require participants to work, study or volunteer in the community for at least 80 hours each month to maintain their eligibility. State health officials will recertify each person’s eligibility every six months.
As of April 6, more than 87,000 people are enrolled under Idaho’s Medicaid expansion program.
Schools must notify parents of transitioning students
Teachers and health care workers will soon have to tell parents if their child asks for help in transitioning to another gender or face steep civil fines.
Little signed House Bill 822 without comment, which requires parental notification within 72 hours. The law will take effect July 1.
That includes if a child or teen requests to go by a new name that’s not a nickname or for adults to refer to them with pronouns that don’t match their sex at birth.
The bill reads, “It is undoubtedly a parental purview and prerogative to have knowledge of, and the authority to deny, a child's efforts at sex transition procedures or social transition.”
State legislators already outlawed gender-affirming care for minors last year, including hormone therapy and surgical options, the latter of which advocates said weren’t being performed in Idaho.
If a parent isn’t properly notified by a teacher, doctor, nurse or child care provider, they could sue them in civil court.
The Idaho attorney general could also ask a court to add another civil fine up to $100,000 on top of any damages awarded in a parent’s lawsuit.
A person’s professional license could be placed in jeopardy for failing to follow the law, as the attorney general could refer the matter to the respective licensing board.
“The law attempts to legislate deeply personal relationships,” said Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates.
“Young trans people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Know this: we will not stand for these attacks, and won’t stop fighting until everyone is able to live their lives freely and without fear,” she said
ACHD elections to get more political
Beginning in 2028, Ada County voters will elect their highway district commissioners in partisan races.
That means candidates will run as members of a political party or remain unaffiliated. In addition, voters across the county will get to vote for each seat, not just the commissioner within their district boundaries.
Several top Republican lawmakers have voiced frustration with Ada County Highway District for years and have run similar bills with no success.
Rep. Josh Tanner (R-Eagle), who co-chairs the legislature’s budget committee, said during his debate earlier this month that the commission is ignoring the will of the people by focusing on pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure instead of easing vehicle traffic.
“They don’t want to try to deal with Idaho’s values. They don’t want to try to make the roads actually meet Idaho’s standards. They want to actually shrink everything down,” Tanner said.
Opponents argued the bill is simply a reaction by Republican legislators to meddle in the results of local elections they disagree with.
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