House Democrats sharply criticized their colleagues across the aisle Wednesday after Republicans blocked a minority report on a bill that would force schools to out transgender students to their parents. 

The minority report — a seldom-used tool for Democrats to officially dissent from a Republican-led committee’s decision — focused on House Bill 822. The legislation, which House Republicans overwhelmingly passed Wednesday, would penalize schools if they don’t inform parents of a child’s request to use a pronoun, name or restroom that doesn’t align with their birth sex.  

After a contentious floor debate, all but three Republicans voted to block Democrats from publishing a minority report in the House journal, a record of the day’s activities. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel called the move an “abuse of supermajority power.” 

“We expect to be outnumbered. We expect that we will frequently lose votes on substantive matters in this body,” said Rubel, D-Boise. “But we do expect procedural fairness and that rules that are created to protect the expression of minority viewpoints will be respected, and that did not happen today.”

Click here to read the minority report.

Following the floor session, House Speaker Mike Moyle said the report took “personal stabs” and was “pushing inappropriate.” 

Along with raising constitutional concerns around HB 822, the report criticized the House Judiciary and Rules Committee’s hearing process. When the committee heard the bill Monday it allowed only 14 minutes of public testimony, denying Idahoans a “meaningful opportunity to share their concerns,” the report said. The committee also held the hearing 90 minutes before a scheduled House floor session Monday, creating a “foreseeable and preventable” time constraint. 

“A meaningful legislative committee public hearing is an indispensable element of representative democracy in Idaho, and the committee’s handling of H822’s first public hearing fell short of that standard,” the report said.  

Reps. Chris Mathias, and John Gannon, both D-Boise, authored the report along with Rubel. 

Moyle, R-Star, said some Republicans wanted to work with Democrats to change the wording, but “the consensus was not to get in the fray.” He added, “The minority leader did a good job of expressing her concerns, too.”

Three Republicans voted against a motion to block the report from being published — Reps. Lori McCann of Lewiston, Cornel Rasor of Sagle and Dustin Manwaring of Pocatello. 

“They could have just let it go into the record,” McCann told reporters after the vote. 

It’s the second time this legislative session that Statehouse Democrats have written a minority report. The other report, which came from the Senate, criticized a bill conforming to tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

House passes HB 822. The minority report kerfuffle came after the House passed HB 822 on a 59-9 vote. 

Rep. Bruce Skaug’s bill would impose up to $100,000 in civil penalties on schools that fail to notify a parent when a student requests help in a “social transition.” 

A social transition includes asking to go by a pronoun or name that doesn’t align with the student’s birth sex, according to the bill. It also includes requesting to use a bathroom or participate on a sports team that doesn’t align with their birth sex.

The school must notify a parent within 72 hours.

Skaug, R-Nampa, emphasized that there must be a request from a student to trigger the reporting requirement. “If a teacher sees a boy at school wearing a dress that does not trigger a reporting, although I think a teacher would want to tell the parent about that anyway,” he said. 

Rep. Annie Henderson Haws said the bill would set “a difficult and confusing standard” for failing to report a social transition. And the potential $100,000 fine is “grossly disproportionate” when compared to other existing penalties in state law. Haws, D-Boise, pointed to driving under the influence when a child is in the car, which carries a $5,000 fine, and falsely reporting child abuse, which carries a $2,500 fine. 

All but one Republican — Rep. Jack Nelsen of Jerome — supported the bill. 

HB 822  “simply informs” parents about what is going on with their child at school, said Rep. John Shirts, R-Weiser, who supported the bill. 

“There is a lie that is being told to these children, that girls can become boys, or boys can become girls,” Shirts said. “It is that lie that has been so pervasive in society and why it makes this type of legislation necessary.”

The bill now heads to the Senate.

Senate endorses school funding formula rewrite

Senators got behind the latest push to revamp Idaho’s 1994 school funding formula.

They endorsed Senate Concurrent Resolution 121, which directs state superintendent Debbie Critchfield to spend the offseason working on a new formula. The idea is to bring a new formula to the 2027 Legislature.

Lawmakers and state education leaders have spent a decade talking about the need for a new formula — but no rewrite has ever made it through both houses.

“I think we can take that knowledge and experience and build on that,” said Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, the sponsor of the resolution.

Supporters have generally agreed on the basic concept of a rewrite — providing schools additional money to serve special education students, English language learners and other at-risk demographics. But after working on the issue for several years, Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog said she has become a little cynical about the prolonged process.

“I’m willing to be a Pollyanna one more time,” said Den Hartog, R-Meridian.

Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, a retired teacher, also reflected on the years-long discussion. “It’s time that the education community gets together and gets this done,” said Ward-Engelking, D-Boise.

The Senate passed the resolution on a voice vote, with a couple of audible no votes. It now goes to the House.

Senate urges feds to address college sports’ ‘arms race’

With little debate, the Senate passed a nonbinding memorial urging Congress to address the long-term health of college athletics.

“This is quite literally an arms race,” said Sen. Ben Adams, R-Nampa, a co-sponsor of Senate Joint Memorial 114. “We will not be left behind.”

The memorial largely addresses Boise State University — and the growing gap between the nation’s wealthiest athletic programs and the rest of the field in college sports.

“There is a compelling need for federal policy and funding frameworks to ensure fair competition, sustainable athletic programs, and continued economic and community benefits for states like Idaho,” the memorial reads, in part.

After the Senate’s voice vote, the memorial now goes to the House.

New memorial backs Trump’s effort to eliminate federal education department

House lawmakers will hold a public hearing on a memorial backing President Donald Trump’s effort to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education — despite efforts by some Republicans to bypass the normal hearing process. 

The House State Affairs Committee introduced the memorial Wednesday. House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, presented the memorial. But it came from Gov. Brad Little and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield, he said. 

The statement says that the federal government’s role in education has led to “significant…overreach” through “burdensome regulations and one-size-fits-all mandates, many left unfunded.” It asks Congress to “fully cooperate” with Trump’s efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and “rightfully put the states back in charge of education.” 

Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, moved Wednesday to send the memorial directly to the full House — bypassing the normal hearing process that would allow the public to weigh in. Rep. Shawn Dygert, R-Melba, supported the motion. He argued that recent changes at the federal level haven’t led to a “decline in services.” 

But Democrats pushed for a hearing. 

“All I’m asking is that we have a conversation about it,” said Rep. Monica Church, D-Boise. “I want more state control, absolutely, but I also want to know what it’s going to cost, and if people have thought that through.”

Some Republicans on the committee sided with the Democrats. “I think it will be good to get a lot of this stuff on the record,” said Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, before supporting Church’s successful motion to introduce the memorial and hold a public hearing.

The memorial could be heard by State Affairs or another House committee in the coming days or weeks.

Bills on military charter students, administrator career ladder placement head to full Senate

The Senate Education Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved two bills dealing with public schools. 

Both bills now go to the full Senate.  

House Bill 762 would give children of active-duty military members preference on charter school waitlists. 

Several active-duty military members — and two children — spoke in favor of the bill Wednesday. Sixth-grader Brynn Scearcy said military children have to pack up and move to a new city and school on short notice when their parents are ordered to relocate. 

“We don’t choose this lifestyle, but we live it and adapt to it,” Scearcy said. “The least we should get is a fair chance at a stable, quality education.”

The bill would allow charter schools to place military children third on waitlists — after the children of charter founders and after siblings, including foster siblings, of students already enrolled. 

The House approved the bill on a 62-4 vote.  

Senate Bill 1358 would count years of service as a public school administrator toward the career ladder — allowing administrators to move up the state’s salary allocation model if they return to the classroom. 

Swan Valley Superintendent Michael Jacobson told lawmakers that he planned to become a teacher again after serving a decade as superintendent. But he would’ve been placed on the lowest rung of the career ladder, which allocated $18,500 less than if his administrative experience had counted. 

“It makes it very difficult financially, despite all the experience that we have,” Jacobson said. 

The bill would require proficient or higher ratings on evaluations in three of the past five years, including the most recent year, for the experience to count toward the career ladder.