In an instance of late-session scheming Monday, the Senate revived a bill that would restrict public schools’ ability to accommodate teachers’ unions.

Senators voted to “radiator cap” a bill that had advanced to the Senate floor and substitute it for a separate teachers’ union bill that had stalled in committee. In Statehouse parlance, radiator capping is a controversial method for rewriting a bill on the House or Senate floor while maintaining its number — effectively replacing one bill with another and bypassing the normal legislative process.

In this case, the Senate replaced House Bill 516 — Rep. Dale Hawkins’ proposal to bar LGBTQ+ instruction — with House Bill 745. The latter is Rep. Judy Boyle’s proposal barring public funds from benefitting teachers’ unions. Sen. Dan Foreman, chairman of the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee, declined to give it a hearing.

Sens. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, and Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins, proposed the radiator cap Monday. “The original bill sponsor is totally OK with this,” Lenney said.

The bill from Hawkins, R-Fernwood, was bound for an amendment that would have given public schools more leeway to make “incidental reference” to sexual orientation and gender identity.

After Monday’s Senate vote, HB 516 doesn’t include the LGBTQ+ instruction proposal while the new bill is similar, but not identical, to HB 745.

The original teachers’ union bill from Boyle, R-Midvale, would have affected all public-sector unions, although it exempted police and fire unions. The new bill would update a section of code that only applies to teachers’ unions.

The new version of HB 516 would still prohibit public schools from:

• Deducting union dues from paychecks.
• Covering union dues in employee wages.
• Providing personal information about employees, including contact information, to the union.
• Requiring employees to meet with union representatives.
• Communicating on behalf of the union.
• Offering employees paid leave for union activities.

Foreman, R-Moscow, debated against the radiator cap amendments Monday, arguing that they would “circumvent the committee process.”

Sen. Dave Lent defended the Idaho Education Association, an “employee voice works fairly well throughout our state.” Lent, a Republican from Idaho Falls and chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said he had “one minute” to consider the proposed amendments.

“This is really out of line here,” he said. “We don’t need to go this far.”

The amendments passed narrowly. But votes on amendments aren’t officially recorded. Senators stood up to indicate their support or opposition for the changes.

Civics bill amendments. The Senate also amended a far-reaching civics bill Monday, although not nearly as significantly as the prior bill.

Sponsoring Sen. Kelly Anthon earlier this month promised to consider proposed changes from public school leaders and other stakeholders on the bill. And the Rupert Republican appeared to follow through Monday.

The Senate approved several amendments to Senate Bill 1336. One amendment removed a requirement for a new 8th-grade western civilization course. Another change added entries to a list of “key historical documents” that students should understand. The list will now include documents “emphasizing the fight for abolition of slavery and religious freedom,” Anthon said.

SB 1336 was co-authored by state superintendent Debbie Critchfield’s office and Samual Lair of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, among others.

The Senate could vote on the teachers’ union and civics bills in the coming days.

Medical education funding bill squeaks through Senate

A bill to carve out new money for medical school subsidies squeaked through the Senate.

Even if it passes, Senate Bill 1420 wouldn’t kick in until July 1, 2027. At that time, the state would divert 1% of its taxes on health insurance premiums toward medical education.

Since Idaho does not have its own medical school, it uses about $11 million in tax dollars per year to subsidize medical school seats at the University of Washington and the University of Utah, enabling Idaho students to pay in-state tuition.

The carveout would put about $1 million from health insurance premiums into the medical school programs.

“(It’s) a pretty straightforward bill,” said Senate Education Committee Chairman Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, the bill’s co-sponsor.

There was no debate over SB 1420, providing no foreshadow to the close vote that followed. The Senate passed the bill on an 18-16 vote.

It now goes to the House.

Senate passes bill requiring schools to report ‘social transitioning’

Schools could soon be required to inform parents if their child asks to go by a different name or pronoun — or makes another request that could signal they’re “socially transitioning” to a different gender. 

The Senate passed House Bill 822 on a 27-8 vote. The bill would require schools to notify parents within 72 hours if a student requests to use names, pronouns or bathrooms that don’t align with their birth sex. Schools that fail to comply with the law would be liable for civil fines up to $100,000. 

Sponsoring Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the Legislature banned gender transition procedures for minors in 2023, but the existing law has a “loophole” that allows “social transitioning.” This involves “adopting a name, pronouns, appearance, or dress that does not correspond to the individual’s sex,” according to HB 822. 

“This bill is before us today to close that loophole,” Toews said.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, is the bill’s House sponsor. 

Senate Democrats and two Republicans — Sens. Jim Guthrie of McCammon and Jim Woodward of Sagle — opposed the bill. 

Guthrie argued that it doesn’t respect teachers who already collaborate with parents — and requires that they make a high-stakes judgment call about when a student “crosses the line.”

“If we pass this, we force our teachers to be tattle tales, and we put additional stress on teachers that are already stressed,” Guthrie said. “They’re already overworked, and more and more they have to deal with laws like this.” 

Woodward said he supports informing parents of a student’s “behavior that is out of the norm.” But he trusts teachers to “make that call,” and he opposes codifying fines up to $100,000. 

Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa, who supported the bill, said the reporting requirement is only triggered when a child makes a request of a school or health care worker to help them “socially transition.” 

“This is not about the child’s behavior,” Lakey said. “This is about reporting.”

Senate Democrats filed a minority report dissenting from the Republican-led Judiciary and Rules Committee’s decision to advance the bill. Republicans didn’t object to the report being published in the Senate journal. Earlier this month, House Republicans blocked Democrats from publishing a minority report on HB 822. 

The Senate Democrats’ report says, among other things, that the bill’s $100,000 penalty is “disproportionate to the nature of the offense,” its definition of “social transition” is “overly broad and vague,” and it doesn’t include a “safety exception for children at knowable risk of abuse.” 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho slammed legislators for passing the bill Monday, calling it an example of “government overreach.” 

“This bill would endanger LGBTQ+ youth, further isolate trans folks, and put all Idaho families at risk of government scrutiny over how their kids look or act,” said ACLU’s statement. 

Shortly after the Senate passed the bill, the House voted to concur with an amendment made by the Senate. The House previously passed the bill on a 59-9 vote. It now goes to the governor’s desk. 

Senate votes to create rural health committee

The Senate passed its version of a bill to create a Rural Health Transformation Committee to steer how Idaho spends $930 million in federal grants over five years.

Lawmakers have already hinted that the money could go toward addressing Idaho’s physician shortage by funding in-state residencies for medical school graduates, or possibly by acquiring the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, a for-profit medical school in Meridian.

Senate Bill 1264 would create a nine-member committee to oversee the federal grants — four House members, four senators and a nonvoting gubernatorial appointee. At least three of the House appointees and three Senate appointees would need to represent rural Idaho, coming from legislative districts “without a population center of 20,000 or more persons.”

A competing House bill would create a nine-member committee, with no required rural representation. A Senate committee voted the House bill down last week.

Debate centered largely on the money — the five-year federal grants that are an offshoot of the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Supporters said the money is on its way, and the committee would ensure that lawmakers drive the spending, rather than the executive branch.

“The best way to make sure that this works correctly is to have this committee in place,” said Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, the bill’s sponsor.

Sen. Camille Blaylock, R-Caldwell, put a sharper point on the debate, using Statehouse protocol to mention Gov. Brad Little, but not by name. “I trust us more than the man on the second floor.”

Opponents used the debate as a chance to decry the $39 trillion national debt. Comparing the rural grants to the feds’ COVID-19 pandemic aid, Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, R-Twin Falls, urged colleagues to hold the line. “Let’s be that light on that hill,” she said.

The bill passed 25-10 and heads to the House.

Senate introduces new bill updating ‘harmful materials’ law

Senators introduced a new version of a bill from Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office, designed to align Idaho’s “harmful materials” library law with recent court decisions. 

The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to introduce the new bill Monday — the 78th legislative day of the session. It’s slightly different than House Bill 819, which the House sent back to committee last week. 

The bill would align Idaho’s “harmful materials” library law — enacted in 2024 through House Bill 710 — with a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which recently issued a ruling on Idaho’s law, along with a Texas decision on a similar policy. 

The Texas decision found that regulating library books is a form of government speech — not a regulation of private speech. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, allowing the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to stand. 

The changes to HB 710 are designed to “strengthen the defensibility of the legislation in regard to litigation,” said Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa, who’s sponsoring the new bill with Senate President Pro Tem Kelly Anthon, R-Rupert. 

Lakey and Anthon made slight changes to the stalled House bill from this session, including adding a line that says a public school or library “shall not promote, give, or make available to a minor any material that is sexually explicit.”

The bill could have a public hearing in the coming days.

Little signs raft of education-related bills

Gov. Brad Little’s bill-signing pen may be running dry while his veto stamp remains fresh — and unused. 

The Republican governor has signed dozens of bills in recent days, including several related to education. Little has yet to veto a bill this session. 

One major bill is outstanding: state superintendent Debbie Critchfield’s $5 million high-needs special education fund. Little received Senate Bill 1288 Thursday, and he has until Wednesday to sign or veto it. He pledged support for the proposal earlier this session and is expected to sign it. 

Here are the education-related bills that Little has signed into law in recent days: 

State Board ‘maintenance’ budget, with cuts. House Bill 876  is the $1.12 billion “maintenance” budget bill for the State Board of Education. The bill funded colleges and universities among other state education programs. It included a 3.3% budget cut for next fiscal year. 

Health education ‘enhancement.’ House Bill 920 is an “enhancement” State Board budget that funded $900,000 in health education residencies and fellowships across the state. 

Department of Education grant funding. House Bill 921 provided the Idaho Department of Education with $517,800, mostly from federal funds, to distribute grants paying for school bus equipment and school food programs. 

Community college budget cut restoration. House Bill 906 gave $1.1 million to community colleges, reversing 2% of budget cuts for fiscal year 2027. Community colleges still face a 3% cut. 

Colleges, universities federal grant. House Bill 905 appropriated $4 million to colleges and universities for the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, a federal grant program. 

CTE budget cut restoration. House Bill 907 gave $1.9 million to the Division of Career Technical Education, restoring the agency’s 2% budget cut for next fiscal year. 

School improvement plans. Senate Bill 1339 eliminated public schools’ requirement to submit Continuous Improvement Plans and replaced them with less burdensome Strategic Performance Plans.

Library directors hiring/firing. House Bill 715 gave city council members the final say on hiring and firing of directors overseeing city-owned libraries. 

Diploma civics seal. House Bill 712 created a new civics seal on high school diplomas. Students can qualify for the seal with high achievement in civics courses and tests and by completing community service. 

CTE career ladder placement. House Bill 849 allowed career technical educators to count professional experience toward their placement on the career ladder, the state’s school employee salary funding mechanism. 

STEM Action Center consolidation. House Bill 761 consolidated the STEM Action Center into the Workforce Development Council. 

Cyberbullying. House Bill 785 created a definition in state law for inappropriate online behavior by students, allowing public schools to discipline cyberbullying. 

University endowment funds. House Bill 922 appropriated $1.9 million in state endowment funds to universities. 

Anser transportation funding. House Bill 815 filled a $40,000 funding loophole affecting Anser Charter School. It allowed the Garden City school to receive a transportation funding reimbursement that’s aligned with other public schools. 

Home-school diplomas. Senate Bill 1285 ensured that home-schoolers’ high school diplomas are recognized as standard diplomas when obtaining professional and occupational licenses.

Senate OKs spending flexibility for high-performing schools

A bill designed to give high-performing schools increased spending authority is headed to the governor’s desk.

House Bill 883 would provide increased leeway to districts that meet a series of academic thresholds, and charters that meet academic and financial benchmarks. About 10 districts and 15 charters could qualify for the flexibility.

The idea is to instill “a change in the mindset” in the way schools spend their state money, said Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog, the bill’s sponsor. “Whether they would spend their money any differently, we don’t know,” said Den Hartog, R-Meridian.

“This really sends a message on outcomes,” said Senate Education Committee Chairman Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, who supported the bill.

HB 883 passed 33-0. It has already passed the House.

LC State rebranding bill stalls for session

A bill to rebrand Lewis-Clark State College as a university is dead for the year.

College officials have given up on the proposal — and directed their frustration at House Education Committee Chairman Dale Hawkins, who did not schedule a hearing on the Senate-passed bill.

“Despite our best efforts, the bill remained in the House Education Committee ‘drawer,’” LC State President Cynthia Pemberton said in her weekly email to the campus community. “While this outcome is disappointing, our advocacy journey gave us the opportunity to connect with legislators, stakeholders, and community members locally, regionally, and across the state — sharing LC State’s value proposition and the purpose and vision behind the proposal.”

LC State argued that university status would align the school with Idaho’s other public four-year universities and draw a distinction between LC State and Idaho’s two-year colleges. LC State officials said the name change would also aid in student and athletic recruiting.

The name change bill, Senate Bill 1234, unanimously passed the Senate in February. The State Board of Education also unanimously approved the name change.

LC State says it plans to bring the bill back in 2027.

Model school facilities bill heads to the House

The Senate voted to give a one-year extension to the state committee working on a plan to pursue cookie-cutter school designs.

House Bill 521, the state’s landmark 2024 school facilities law, contained myriad provisions — including one section creating a “model school facility council.” The nine-member panel was supposed to adopt a model facilities plan by July 1.

“This has turned out to be a little bigger (job) than we thought,” said Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, who is sponsoring Senate Bill 1439, which would extend the deadline to July 1, 2027.

SB 1439 passed the Senate unanimously, and goes to the House.

House passes college athletics memorial

Monday marked the season finale for a nonbinding measure urging Congress to fix college athletics.

“In the evolving collegiate athletics landscape shaped by name, image, and likeness (NIL), revenue sharing, and shifting conference dynamics, 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,” Senate Joint Memorial 114 reads, in part.

The U.S. Senate has already introduced a bill addressing NIL, said Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, a co-sponsor of the memorial, which is essentially a letter to Congress.

The memorial passed via voice vote, with a couple of audible no votes.

The Senate has already approved the memorial, which does not need to go to Gov. Brad Little’s desk.