Bills, committees keeping legislators busy

Well, I arrived in Boise with laryngitis! Not so good for a job that requires prodigious amounts of listening and talking. The listening has been great, not so much the talking. The first four days were mostly getting acquainted with committees and process.

Speaking of committees, I was assigned to:

• Business, which is responsible for banking, insurance issues, occupational licenses unrelated to healthcare, Department of Finance, and the Department of Insurance. It meets on odd days at 1:30 p.m. in Room EW41. Information regarding agenda’s, bills and live streaming can be found online at legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/standingcommittees/HBUS.

• Local government, which is responsible for city/county governance, taxing districts. It meets on even days at 1:30 p.m. in Room EW05. Information regarding agenda’s, bills and live streaming can be found can be found online at legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/standingcommittees/HLOC.

• Health & Welfare, which is responsible for: health/child care, pharmacy/medications, welfare, Medicaid, medical and healthcare related occupational licensing, and health districts. It meets daily at 9 a.m. in Room EW20. Information regarding agenda’s, bills and live streaming can be found can be found online at legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/standingcommittees/HHEA.

Things began to pick up the second week. I had several committee meetings. We are still working through rules in Health & Welfare and Business. We also heard three RS’s in Business. When they become bills, I will be free to comment on them. I’ll do my level best to keep you informed about bills, but when they start coming out faster I will likely default to the bills that generate the most interest. Here is a handy URL to follow current bills: legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation.

By this, the third week, bills are starting to come out regularly. As of Friday, Jan. 24, we have 60 House bills, 25 Senate bills, five House Concurrent Resolutions, two House Joint Memorials, one House Resolution, and two Senate Concurrent Resolutions.

Current notable bills include:

• H0017 Wildfire, insurance pool proposes creating the Idaho Wildfire Risk Mitigation and Stabilization Pool. This bill aims to improve access to property insurance in high-risk wildfire areas by establishing a fund and board to mitigate wildfire risks and stabilize the insurance market. The bill outlines the pool's structure, funding sources, including premium taxes and grants, and its powers and authorities.

• H0032 Mask mandates, prohibition seeks to prohibit mask mandates statewide. The bill explicitly prevents state and local governments from requiring face coverings to curb the spread of contagious diseases, with exceptions for workplaces where masks are necessary for job safety and facilities managing behavioral risks. The legislation defines key terms like "official" and "political subdivision" to clarify its scope.

• H0039 Idaho parental choice tax credit creates the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit. This refundable tax credit offers up to $5,000 per eligible student for qualified educational expenses, with an increased amount for students with disabilities. The bill establishes an advance payment fund for low-income families and includes provisions for application processes, annual reporting, and a $50 million annual cap. The bill also clarifies that participating nonpublic schools are not subject to state regulation, and that the credit does not constitute taxable income.

• H0040 Taxation, income, metals, military modifies the state's income tax code. Key changes include adjustments to taxable income, such as adding capital gains from precious metal sales and revising deductions for military retirement pay. The bill also alters the individual and corporate income tax rates and makes several technical corrections to existing sections of the Idaho Code.

Please continue to reach out with comments or questions.

Rep. Cornel Rasor represents Bonner and Boundary counties in District 1. He can be reached at crasor@house.idaho.gov or by phone at 208-332-1185.