City of Boise Legislative Updates 2025

Week 13

HB 471 – Partisan Elections; ACHD – OPPOSE

HB 471 was introduced on April 1 in the House State Affairs Committee, where it intended to make all Ada County Highway District (ACHD) commissioner elections partisan. It also moved the election process so that commissioners would no longer be elected by district, but rather the county at large. Similar to HB 326, HB 471 is not a policy solution crafted by the local governments most impacted by this proposal and intends to circumvent city leaders and Boise residents on a local issue with an unnecessary, and unwarranted state solution.

The bill was given a public hearing on April 2 where it passed, and then was passed by the full House floor vote the same day by a 58-10-2 vote. In a rush to finish the 2025 session, the bill was then given a Senate committee hearing on April 4 where it died by a 4-5 vote.

BILL STATUS: Killed in Senate State Affairs Committee

SB 1140 – Restrictions on Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure - OPPOSE

SB 1140 was signed into law by Governor Little on April 1.

BILL STATUS: Law

SB 1141 – Camping Enforcement; Local Government Liability – OPPOSE

SB 1140 was signed into law by Governor Little on April 1.

BILL STATUS: Law

SB 1144 – Restrictions on Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure - OPPOSE

BILL STATUS: Awaiting action by Governor Little

SB 1162 – Restrictions on Municipal Short-Term Rental Ordinances - OPPOSE

SB 1162 was debated on the Senate floor on April 1 where it failed by a 11-23-1 vote.

BILL STATUS: Died on the Senate floor

Week 11

SB 1141 – Camping Enforcement; Local Government Liability – OPPOSE

SB 1141 was given a public hearing in the House State Affairs Committee on March 20 where it passed by a party line vote. It’s now headed to the House floor for a possible vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed House State Affairs Committee

SB 1162 – Restrictions on Municipal Short-Term Rental Ordinances – OPPOSE

SB 1162 was given a public hearing in the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee on  March 21. Despite strong opposition from local governments across the state, the bill was sent to the Senate Amending Order for possible amendments.

BILL STATUS: Sent to Senate Amending Order

Week 9: 

HB 32 – Restrictions on Local Mask Requirements – OPPOSE

After passage by the full Senate, HB 32 was sent to Governor Little for his possible signature. The bill was ultimately signed into law on Tuesday, March 4.

BILL STATUS: Law

HB 86 – Preemption on Local EV Readiness Requirements - OPPOSE

HB 86 was voted on by the full Senate floor on Wednesday, March 5 where it passed by a 28-7 vote. The bill now heads to Governor Little for his possible signature.

BILL STATUS: Passed full Senate floor vote

HB 326 – Changes to ACHD Composition – OPPOSE

HB 326 attempts to restructure the composition of the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) by adding two unelected appointments. One new member would be appointed by the Governor and the second would be appointed by the Ada County Commissioners with no public voter input on desire, qualifications or experience for the new members. HB 326 is not a policy solution crafted by the local governments most impacted by this proposal and intends to circumvent city leaders on a local issue with an unnecessary, and unwarranted state solution. The bill was given a public hearing in the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday, March 4 where it easily passed out of committee with a majority vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed out of House Transportation Committee; awaiting full House floor vote

HB 243 – Preemption on Municipal Childcare Licensing - OPPOSE

HB 243 was given a hearing in the Senate Health & Welfare Committee on Wednesday, March 5. After limited discussion, the bill was sent to the amending order to address concerns with the removal of state and local daycare ratio requirements.

BILL STATUS: Sent to Senate Amending Order

SB 1042a – Rental Application Fee Protections - SUPPORT

SB 1042a was given a public hearing in the House Business Committee on Wednesday, March 5. Despite strong support from industry experts and members of the public, the bill was held in committee, effectively killing the bill for the year.

BILL STATUS: Held in House Business Committee

SB 1141 – Camping Enforcement; Local Government Liability - OPPOSE

SB 1141 will require cities to enforce blanket no-camping policies targeted unsheltered homeless people or risk private lawsuits or investigation by the Attorney General if an individual is adversely impacted by the lack of enforcement. The bill has a broad definition for the term “camping,” which will require significant public safety resources to enforce due to the heightened legal liability. Ultimately, SB 1141 will divert severely limited local government resources away from appropriately responding to issues of unsheltered homelessness, such as a focus on building affordable housing.

BILL STATUS: Introduced Senate State Affairs Committee

SB 1140 – Restrictions on Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure - OPPOSE

SB 1140 limits the inclusion of new bike lanes and pedestrian facilities to projects that serve the primary benefit of motor vehicles. This bill does not consider that in cities with aging infrastructure, our local highway district may have to have to retrofit facilities like sidewalks to create a complete road network.

BILL STATUS: Introduced Senate Transportation Committee

SB 1144 – Restrictions on Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure - OPPOSE

SB1144 prohibits the construction of existing or new pedestrian and bicycle facilities with limited exceptions and prohibits the narrowing of non-residential collector and arterial streets, limiting jurisdictions’ abilities to adapt their community infrastructure to respond to growth. At a time when our communities are experiencing higher volumes of vehicle traffic than ever before, pedestrians are also their most vulnerable. In 2024, there were 7 pedestrian/cyclist fatalities Ada County streets and 17 statewide. To jeopardize a highway district’s ability to swiftly correct safety needs for pedestrians is extremely concerning.

BILL STATUS: Introduced Senate Transportation Committee

SB 1162 – Restrictions on Municipal Short-Term Rental Ordinances - OPPOSE

SB 1162 is the return of similar legislation from the 2024 legislative session (HB 506). SB 1162 attempts to preempt municipal authority to regulate short-term rentals. The legislation would prohibit cities from regulating short-term rentals under a number of circumstances, including requiring insurance, charging a licensing fee, collecting local contact information, and requiring certain fire safety protections, among other prohibitions. In doing so, HB 506 would nullify any meaningful protections local governments could enact to ensure health and safety requirements are met within the short-term rental market, as well as protecting the integrity of residential neighborhood.

BILL STATUS: Introduced Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee

Week 7: 

HB 32 – Restrictions on Local Mask Requirements – OPPOSE

HB 32 was debated by the full Senate floor on Friday where it passed by a 27-6-2 vote. The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk for final action (sign into law or veto).

BILL STATUS: Passed the full Senate floor vote; awaits Governor’s final action

HB 86 – Preemptions on Local EV Readiness Requirements – OPPOSE

HB 86 had a full floor vote on Thursday, where it passed the House by 61-9 party line vote. The bill now heads to the Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee for possible consideration.

BILL STATUS: Passed full House floor vote

HB 243 – Preemption on Municipal Childcare Licensing - OPPOSE

HB 243 was given a public hearing in the House Health & Welfare Committee on Friday. The city testified, sharing our concerns about the lack of oversight and safety enforcement of Boise childcare facilities if this bill were to move forward. After overwhelming opposition from childcare providers and concerned parents, the committee passed the bill by an 11-4 vote. It now heads to the House floor for a possible vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed House Health & Welfare Committee; awaiting full House floor vote

HB 273 – Guns in Classrooms – OPPOSE

HB 273 would have authorized teachers in Idaho’s public schools to carry weapons on their person while on school premises. While this year’s version of this bill (HB 415, 2024) does require enhanced weapons training for personnel who choose to carry on school grounds, the bill will still undermine the relationship local police departments create with their local school districts to assess safety risks and create emergency response plans. Additionally, HB 273 will insert untrained school personnel in the middle of an emergency response instead of local law enforcement which would create chaos in the event of a school emergency.

BILL STATUS: Introduced in House State Affairs Committee

HB 300 – Broadband Policy at Local Highway District – WATCH

HB 300 is a replacement bill for HB 145, which would have specifically prohibited the use of micro-trenching deployment technology in Ada County. Under HB 300, it no longer has a prohibition on micro-trenching, and instead adds ACHD to the state’s Dig-Once policy.

BILL STATUS: Introduced in House Transportation Committee

SB 1042a – Rental Application Fee Protections – SUPPORT

SB 1042 was debated by the full Senate floor on Wednesday. The bill passed by a 23-12 vote and now heads to the House for possible committee consideration.

BILL STATUS: Passed full Senate floor vote

Week 5: 

HB 145 – Prohibition on Micro-trenching Broadband Deployment – OPPOSE

HB 145 intends to specifically prevent the Ada County Highway District from allowing broadband technology that utilizes micro-trenching infrastructure to deploy its services. In doing so, this bill specifically limits broadband access in Ada County, which will result in decreased access and affordability for Idaho residents.

BILL STATUS: Introduced; Awaiting hearing in House Transportation & Defense Committee

SB 1023 – Restriction on Municipal Public Health Authority – OPPOSE

SB 1023 was given a public hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday, February 5. After close to two hours of testimony, the committee voted to send the bill to the Senate Amending Order for possible revisions and amendments.

BILL STATUS: Sent to Senate Amending Order

SB 1042 – Rental Application Fee Protections – SUPPORT

SB 1042 intends to adopt a statewide policy outlining a process and reasonable fees standard for accepting rental applications. In doing so, it will create greater transparency in the assessment and processing of rental application fees, as well as helping renters better manage the fees associated with rental applications. At a time when affordable housing for renters is a key priority in many communities, this bill serves to enshrine reasonable protections that ensure renters have access to housing while balancing the economic interests of landlords and property owners.

This bill was given a public hearing on Wednesday, February 5 with strong support from renters, landlords and property managers. Ultimately the bill was sent to the Senate Amending Order for possible amendments.

BILL STATUS: Sent to Senate Amending Order

Week 3: 

HB 32 – Restrictions on Local Mask Requirements – OPPOSE

HB 32 conflicts with local government authority to enact public health measures that are not provided for at the state level, such as face mask requirements. The bill also limits an important public health mitigation tool that has helped us keep our businesses open, our economy working toward recovery, our kids in school and our hospitals with improved capacity to provide care for those who need it.

BILL STATUS: Introduced House State Affairs Committee

SB 1023 – Restriction on Municipal Public Health Authority – OPPOSE

SB 1023 would prevent municipalities from enacting laws that fill-in the gaps left in State law, specifically around health and safety measures. Restricting access to community spread mitigation efforts, such as vaccine requirements, for future public health crises runs counter to enacting health measures that are in alignment with medical and scientific best practices.

BILL STATUS: Introduced Senate Health & Welfare Committee