Legislative Notebook: Idaho governor signs firing squad, grocery tax credit, and anti-SLAPP bills

Yahoo

15-03-2025

The hallway of the Senate side of the garden level of the Idaho Capitol in Boise as seen on March 10, 2025. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
In an effort to help Idahoans follow major bills, resolutions and memorials through the legislative process, the Idaho Capital Sun will produce a 'legislative notebook' at the end of each week to gather information in one place that concerns major happenings in the Legislature and other news relating to state government. To receive the full extent of our reporting in your inbox each day, sign up for our free email newsletter, The Sunrise, on our website at idahocapitalsun.com/subscribe/.
Here is our quick rundown of the major happenings during the 10th week of the Idaho Legislature's 2025 session.
The Gem State will become the only state in the U.S. to fatally shoot death row inmates as its main execution method, after Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 37 into law on Wednesday.
Both chambers of the Idaho Legislature widely approved the bill, with only three Republican state lawmakers joining all 15 Democratic lawmakers to oppose it. The Senate passed the bill on a 28-7 vote last week, a month after the House passed it on a 58-11 vote.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.
Nine people are on death row in Idaho, according to the Idaho Department of Correction.
Only five states – Idaho, Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Mississippi – allow firing squads for executions. But the firing squad isn't the primary death penalty method in any of those states, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Since 2023, Idaho has allowed firing squads as a backup execution method, behind lethal injection.
Renovating Idaho's execution chamber to allow for firing squads will likely cost more than the $750,000 lawmakers previously appropriated, lawmakers say. But bill sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican from Nampa, has said any extra funds would come from money already in the Idaho Department of Correction budget.
Sponsored by House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, and signed into law by Little on Thursday, House Bill 231 increases the tax credit most Idahoans receive on groceries from $120 to $155.
'I love the signal we send to Idaho families every year when we deliver even more tax relief while taking care of the needs of a growing state,' Little said in a written statement. 'As we continue to deliver historic tax relief, we must ensure our budget balances as the Idaho Constitution requires.'
To pay for the expanded grocery tax credit, House Bill 231 reduces state revenue by $50 million per year. The grocery tax law is written so it took effect retroactively Jan. 1. That means Idahoans will be able to receive the full credit when they file their taxes next year.
Sponsored by Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, and signed into law by Little on Monday, House Bill 1001 aims to protect free speech and curtail frivolous lawsuits. The law is designed to combat strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPP lawsuits.
The law would allow lawsuits to be put on hold if a party files an anti-SLAPP motion. The motion would freeze the case and allow a judge to quickly dismiss any lawsuit deemed to be frivolous. The law, which will take effect on Jan. 1, would let the winning party recover attorney fees.
Anti-SLAPP laws are in place in 35 states and the District of Columbia, according to a 2023 report by the Institute for Free Speech.
House Bill 345: Co-sponsored by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, and the chairmen of the Legislature's Health and Welfare committees, the bill would require the state to seek work requirements for able-bodied Idahoans on Medicaid, and to give Idahoans eligible for Medicaid expansion access to tax credits to buy insurance on Idaho's health care exchange. The Idaho Senate voted 29-6 along party lines Tuesday to pass the bill. It now heads to the governor for final consideration.
House Bill 243: Co-sponsored by Reps. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, and Rod Furniss, R-Rigby, the bill would repeal Idaho law that allows city and local governments to set more rigorous child care oversight than the state. The bill was amended by the Senate on Wednesday to remove language that would have allowed child and day care centers to set their own staff-to-child ratios. It is on the Senate's third reading calendar and may be heard in the coming days of the session.
Senate Bill 1101: Sponsored by Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, the bill would clarify and add guidance to Idaho coroners' roles in death investigations. The Senate voted 60-6 to pass the bill on Monday. It now heads to the governor for final consideration.
House Bill 290: Sponsored by Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise, the bill would transfer decision-making authority about vaccination requirements for children attending day cares and schools from the Department of Health and Welfare to the Idaho Legislature. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee passed the bill on Wednesday and sent it to the Senate floor with a do pass recommendation. It may be heard in the coming days of the session.
House Concurrent Resolution 16: Sponsored by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, the resolution would create a legislative committee to study Idaho's property insurance market. The resolution, approved by the House Business Committee with a do pass recommendation on Tuesday, is in response to Idaho's destructive wildfire seasons and dozens of insurance companies pulling out of the state. The House may take it up in the coming days of the session.
House Bill 362: Sponsored by Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, the bill would prevent elected officials in state or federal positions from simultaneously serving in elected city, school or highway district positions, with some exceptions for rural areas. The House voted 43-27 on Tuesday to pass the bill. It was referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee and may be heard in the coming days of the session.
House Bill 41: Sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, and Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, the bill would prohibit flags in public schools 'that represent a political viewpoint, including but not limited to flags or banners regarding a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or a political ideology.' The House voted 60-10 on Tuesday to pass the bill. It now heads to the governor for final consideration.
House Bill 380: Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, the bill would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for a new criminal charge the bill creates: aggravated lewd conduct with children age 12 and younger. The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee voted on Thursday to advance the bill with a do pass recommendation. It may be heard by the full House in the coming days of the session.
House Bill 378: Sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, R-Idaho Falls, the bill would require all Idaho legislative officials to report out-of-state travel, paid by another individual or entity, that is 'reasonably related to a legislative or governmental purpose or to an issue of state, national, or international public policy.' The House voted 47-22 on Thursday to pass the bill. It was referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee and may be heard in the coming days of the session.
Senate Bill 1046aa: Sponsored by Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, and Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, the bill requires Idaho public schools to provide human growth and fetal development instruction via ultrasound video and computer-generated renderings for students in grades 5 through 12. The House Education Committee voted on Friday to advance the bill with a do pass recommendation, and it may be taken up by the full House in the coming days of the session.
House Resources and Conservation Committee Senate Joint Memorial 103: Sponsored by Sen. Brandon Shippy, R-New Plymouth, and Rep. John Shirts, R-Weiser, the memorial encourages federal and state officials to ensure the Stibnite Gold Project in Valley County maintains its positive record of decision, and successfully enters into the development phase of the project. It is scheduled for a full public hearing on Monday.
Senate Joint Memorial 101: Sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, the memorial urges federal and state agencies to study and develop additional water storage solutions for Idaho, including the potential reconstruction of the Teton Dam. It is scheduled for a full public hearing on Monday.
House Bill 389: Sponsored by Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, the legislation would make it so any range or forest fire burning on federal land within Idaho is declared a public nuisance. The bill allows the governor to declare an emergency and direct state resources to immediately extinguish such a fire on federal land. The bill also directs the Idaho attorney general to recover related costs in a civil action. It is scheduled for a full public hearing on Monday.
Idaho State Department of Agriculture to host ag day celebration at Statehouse The Idaho State Department of Agriculture will host a celebration for Idaho Agriculture Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the State Capitol Building in Boise. More than 15 agricultural organizations will participate in the event, providing displays that recognize Idaho agriculture on the second floor of the rotunda, according to a press release from the department. The event is open to the public to learn more about Idaho agriculture and the impact the state has on today's food system. Idaho's 23,000 farms and ranches produce more than 185 different commodities, contributing more $10.8 billion to the state's economy, according to the department. Idaho Agriculture Day celebrates and recognizes Idaho's farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers.
'Here is a list. You can't see it, but you can see there's a lot of bills here that need to be done. We've got a ton of work to do, and we can't go home – nobody can go home – until we get these done. So the more we can do to negotiate and come to a consensus so we can move them along here in JFAC, the better off we will all be so we can get the bills to the House and the Senate, and everybody will be happy – happy – that someday we will sine die.' – Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee co-chairman Scott Grow, R-Eagle, on the remaining budgets the Legislature's budget committee must still address before it can adjourn for the year
How to follow the Idaho Legislature and Idaho Gov. Brad Little's work during the session
Here are a few tools we use to track the Legislature's business and how to let your voice be heard in the issues that matter most to you.
How to find your legislators: To determine which legislative district you live in, and to find contact information for your legislators within that district, go to the Legislative Services Office's website and put in your home address and ZIP code. Once you've entered that information, the three legislators – two House members and one senator – who represent your district will appear, and you can click on their headshots to find their email address and phone number.
How to find committee agendas: Go to the Idaho Legislature's website, legislature.idaho.gov, and click on the 'all available Senate committee agendas' link and the 'all available House committee agendas' link on the right side of the website.
How to watch the legislative action in committees and on the House and Senate floors: Idaho Public Television works in conjunction with the Legislative Services Office and the Idaho Department of Administration through a program called 'Idaho in Session' to provide live streaming for all legislative committees and for the House and Senate floors. To watch the action, go to https://www.idahoptv.org/shows/idahoinsession/Legislature/ and select the stream you'd like to watch.
How to testify remotely at public hearings before a committee: To sign up to testify remotely for a specific committee, navigate to that committee's webpage, and click on the 'testimony registration (remote and in person)' tab at the top.
How to find state budget documents: Go to Legislative Services Office Budget and Policy Analysis Division's website https://legislature.idaho.gov/lso/bpa/budgetinformation/.
How to track which bills have made it to Gov. Little's desk and any action he took on them (including vetoes): Go to the governor's website https://gov.idaho.gov/legislative-sessions/2025-session/. You can scroll down to the bottom of the site and enter your email address to get alerts sent straight to your inbox when the page has been updated.
Reporting from Idaho Capital Sun journalists Clark Corbin, Mia Maldonado and Kyle Pfannenstiel contributed to this legislative notebook.
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