Idaho Senate unanimously passes bill requiring state agencies to recommend laws for removal
Idaho Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon, R-Rupert, makes an announcement from the Senate floor on Jan. 7, 2025, at the State Capitol Building in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
A bill requiring Idaho state agencies to recommend outdated or unnecessary laws for the Idaho Legislature to repeal is heading to Gov. Brad Little's desk after clearing its final legislative hurdle Thursday.
The Idaho Senate voted 34-0 Thursday to pass, House Bill 14, the Idaho Code Cleanup Act. Under the bill all state agencies and departments must review relevant statutes in Idaho law and submit a list of obsolete, unnecessary or redundant laws to the Idaho Legislature by Sept. 1.
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House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, and Senate President Pro Tem Kelly Anthon, R-Burley, sponsored the bill.
Moyle has said the bill is Idaho's version of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, that is championed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
'We've learned in Idaho that the lightest touch of government is best,' Anthon said Thursday. 'We've learned that the least amount of interference in the lives of our Idaho families aligns with our constitutional liberties'
Once Little receives the bill, he can sign it into law, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.
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