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2026 Budget Bill Tracker
Idaho Reports will update this budget tracker during the 2026 legislative session.
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Interview: Sen. Ben Adams Has an Idea to Help Keep Public Lands
Sen. Ben Adams talks about a constitutional amendment to govern how Idaho would handle a future land transfer from the federal government.
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Interview: Alex Adams at the Administration for Children and Families
President Donald Trump appointed Alex Adams to serve as the assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services. Idaho Reports producer Logan Finney sat down with Adams to discuss his new role.
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Tanner offered Appropriations chair; more House committee shakeups to come
Rep. Josh Tanner has served on JFAC since 2023, his first session in the Idaho Legislature. He currently serves as House Assistant Majority Leader.
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Upcoming budget reductions could undercut Idaho cybersecurity
Despite growing cyber threats, budget pressures are keeping some agencies from asking for technology to keep Idahoans’ data secure.
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Fulcher says he would support Epstein petition if House Oversight unsuccessful
Rep. Russ Fulcher said he would sign on to a discharge petition effort if the current House investigation doesn’t provide transparency into the Epstein files.
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No Idaho quagga mussels detected yet in early September 2025
The microscopic quagga mussel veligers were not detected in 2023 and 2024 until late September.
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Supreme Court: cities cannot limit vacation rentals based on owner occupancy
by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports This week, the Idaho Supreme Court struck down a Lava Hot Springs ordinance that limited what kinds of short-term vacation rentals can operate in residential zones of the city. Lava Hot Springs residents with support from the Idaho Association of Realtors sued the city after being denied a business license…
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Budgets set for the 2025 session
State lawmakers are constitutionally required each year to set a balanced budget where expenses do not exceed revenues. Following a new process in recent sessions, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has created basic “maintenance” budgets that extend existing spending into the next fiscal year. A follow-up “enhancement” budget covers any new spending requested by the agencies.…
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Senate passes bill to update hospital property tax exemption
by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports The Senate has passed a bill to revise property tax exemptions for nonprofit hospitals. Senate Majority Caucus Chairman Ben Toews described the bill as “a collaborative effort between the Idaho Association of Counties and the Idaho Hospital Association.” It tightens the general definition of hospital while specifically designating critical access…
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House panel approves power company standard of care for wildfires
by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports The House State Affairs Committee approved a bill Wednesday that would help protect electric utility companies from civil lawsuits related to wildfire damages. Senate Bill 1183 would establish a standard of care in state law under which electric companies would not be held liable for wildfire-related damages if they have…
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Senate pauses bill to give counties control over hospital tax exemption
by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports Senators want to take a closer look at a House bill that would grant county commissioners direct control over which specific hospital properties qualify for property tax exemptions. “I have an interest in understanding the use of the properties. I’m not particularly wild on the added discretion here for the…