City of Boise Legislative Updates 2026

Week 12:

HB 561aa – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

On Tuesday, March 31, Governor Little signed HB 561aa into law. In response to the bill’s passage and emergency clause, Mayor McLean and Boise City Council took down the Pride flag hanging at City Hall to ensure compliance with the new law.

BILL STATUS: Law



HB 557 – Rollback on Municipal Antidiscrimination Laws – OPPOSE

After passage in the House during the early weeks of session, HB 557 died in the Senate State Affairs Committee where it was never given a public hearing.

BILL STATUS: Dead; held in Senate State Affairs Committee



SB 1356 – Partisan Elections; ACHD – OPPOSE

In a final push to enact SB 1356 before the end of session, the bill was given a Senate floor vote, House State Affairs hearing and House floor vote in the span of two hours the night of Wednesday, April 1. The bill ultimately ended up passing both bodies and is now headed to Governor Little for his possible signature.

BILL STATUS: Passed the Senate, passed the House, headed to Governor Little for possible signature



SB 1448 – Restrictions on Public Library Materials – OPPOSE

SB 1448 was introduced on Monday, March 30 in the Senate to revive HB 819. This bill restores the important First Amendment test in reviewing materials that may potentially be harmful to minors. However, this new version aimed to tie restrictions to library materials based on what might be deemed harmful to adolescent minors, contrary to previous U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the issue. This then creates concerns that unconstitutional censorship of library materials would be allowed under this legislation. Despite being introduced during the last week of session, SB 1448 advanced through the entire legislative process, and on Thursday, April 2 was sent to Governor Little for his possible signature.

BILL STATUS: Headed to Governor Little for possible signature

Week 11:

HB 561aa – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

On Tuesday, March 24 the Senate passed HB 561 by a 26-8-1 vote. The bill then returned to the House for a final vote to concur with the Senate added amendments, where it passed on Thursday, March 26. The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk for his possible signature.

BILL STATUS: Passed the Senate & House; awaiting possible signature by Governor Little



HB 842 – Restrictions on Municipal Budgets - OPPOSE

On Monday, March 23 the House voted 28-41-1 to kill HB 842 over concerns that it did not appropriately address budget concerns raised by cities.

BILL STATUS: Dead

Week 10:

HB 561aa – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

On Wednesday, March 18, HB 561aa was sent to the Senate Amending Order for a second round of amendments. It was successfully amended to address the flying of historic international flags to celebrate cross-border relations. The bill now awaits a final floor vote in the House.

BILL STATUS: Amended; awaiting final House floor vote



HB 676 – Municipal Geothermal Planning - SUPPORT

HB 676 was passed out of the Senate on a 35-0 vote on Tuesday, March 17 and sent to the Governor for his possible signature to enact the proposal into law. Governor Little then signed the bill into law on Thursday, March 19.

BILL STATUS: Law



HB 819 – Restrictions on Public Library Materials - OPPOSE

HB 819 was sent to the House Amending Order on Monday, March 16. On Friday, March 23 it was then sent back to the House State Affairs Committee, effectively killing the bill for the time being.

BILL STATUS: Returned to committee



HB 842 – Restrictions on Municipal Budgets - OPPOSE

HB 842 was given a public hearing in the House Revenue & Taxation Committee on Thursday, March 19. It passed out of committee and now heads to the House for a full floor vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed House Revenue & Taxation Committee



SB 1356 – Partisan Elections; ACHD – OPPOSE

SB 1356 was given a public hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday, March 16 where it passed out of committee. It now heads to the Senate for a full floor vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed Senate State Affairs Committee

Week 9:

HB 561aa – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

On Friday, March 13, the Senate State Affairs Committee held a public hearing for HB 561aa. Mayor McLean once again testified, outlining the city’s compliance with current state law and the community values of welcome and inclusion that the city aims to uphold. Despite requests to send the bill to the amending order to address concerns over flying international flags in border cities, the bill was passed out of committee and now heads to the Senate floor for a possible vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed Senate State Affairs Committee



HB 583 – Restrictions on Short Term Rentals Policies - OPPOSE

HB 583 was voted on by the full Senate on Monday, March 9 where it passed by a 23-12 vote. It will now head to Governor Little for possible signature, enacting the bill into law.

BILL STATUS: Passed the Senate; awaiting possible signature by Governor Little



HB 676 – Municipal Geothermal Planning - SUPPORT

The Senate Natural Resources Committee held a public hearing on HB 676 on Monday, March 9. The bill passed unanimously out of committee and is now headed to the Senate for a full floor vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed Senate Natural Resources Committee



HB 819 – Restrictions on Public Library Materials - OPPOSE

HB 819 is a new library bill aimed at further censoring the types of materials that can be available to minors in public libraries. This bill removes an important First Amendment protection that helps ensure no materials with literary or artistic value are improperly removed from the library. The bill was given a hearing on Thursday, March 12 in the House State Affairs Committee where it passed and was moved forward to House for a possible full floor vote.

BILL STATUS: Passed House State Affairs Committee



HB 842 – Restrictions on Municipal Budgets - OPPOSE

HB 842 is a property tax bill aimed at addressing issues arising from HB 389, which was enacted in the 2021 Legislative Session. Instead of addressing the continued arbitrary caps for overall budget growth, new construction growth and revenue generated from retiring urban renewal districts, HB 842 will remove cities’ ability to collect forgone and allow for a ballot initiative process to reduce municipal budgets. Both components of the bill do not address Boise’s needs for growth to pay for itself and to provide the necessary funds to ensure the city can increase public safety personnel numbers in alignment with the growth throughout various parts of the city.

BILL STATUS: Introduced in House Revenue & Taxation Committee

Week 8:

HB 561aa – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

On Thursday, March 5 the full House voted 58-11-1 to pass HB 561aa. It will now head to the Senate for a possible public hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee.

BILL STATUS: Passed the House



SB 1356 – Partisan Elections; ACHD – OPPOSE

SB 1356 is an updated version of SB 1302 that intends to make all Ada County Highway District (ACHD) commissioner elections partisan. This version updates the implementation timeline for election changes to 2028 from the initially proposed timeline of 2026 and also adds clarifying language regarding the candidate filing process.

BILL STATUS: Introduced in Senate State Affairs Committee

Week 7:

HB 561 – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

On Friday, February 27, HB 561 was amended in the House Amending Order. The bill was amended to include an express exemption allowing the Basque autonomous flag to be flown as well as any flag that are not considered “political, religious, or ideological in nature.” The bill is now awaiting a final vote on the House floor.

BILL STATUS: Amended in the House



HB 583 – Restrictions on Municipal Short-Term Rental Policies – OPPOSE

On Thursday, February 26, the Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee held a public hearing on HB 583. The bill was ultimately voted out of committee and now is awaiting a final vote on the Senate floor.

BILL STATUS: Passed Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee



HB 676 – Municipal Geothermal Planning – SUPPORT

HB 676 was granted a public hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee on Monday, February 23 where it passed out of committee by an 11-1 vote. The bill was then voted on by the full House on Thursday, February 26 by a 68-2. It will now head to the Senate Resources & Environment Committee for a potential public hearing.

BILL STATUS: Passed the House



HB 753 – Assertive Community Treatment – SUPPORT

HB 753 will restore and fully fund Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services that were cut in December 2025 in response to ongoing budget shortfalls at the state level. Restoring ACT services is a practical, evidence-based investment that strengthens public safety, reduces cost-shifting to local jurisdictions, and supports individuals with serious mental illness in remaining safe and stable in the community.

BILL STATUS: Introduced in House Health & Welfare Committee



SB 1263 – Municipal authority on Short-Term Rentals – SUPPORT

SB 1263 clarifies the authority municipal governments have to regulate short-term rentals in their community. The City of Boise has had a short-term rental ordinance in place since 2022 to safeguard the public health and safety of residents in Boise, as well as to protect the integrity of residential neighborhoods where short-term rentals operate. SB 1263 moves state policy toward supporting clear, consistent regulatory frameworks. This bill aligns with industry by preventing de facto bans and instead focuses on safety and neighborly behavior rather than complex occupancy formulas or building regulations that differ by city.

On Thursday, February 26, this bill was given a hearing in the Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee along with HB 583, a competing short-term rental bill from the House. After committee deliberation on both bills, the committee voted to hold SB 1263 in committee, effectively killing the bill for the time being.

BILL STATUS: Held in Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee

Week 6:

HB 701 – Reasonable Application Fees for Renters – SUPPORT

HB 701 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.

BILL STATUS: Introduced in House Business Committee



SB 1302 – Partisan Elections; ACHD – OPPOSE

SB 1302 is an updated version of SB 1229 that intends to make all Ada County Highway District (ACHD) commissioner elections partisan. This version updates the implementation timeline for election changes to 2028 from the initially proposed timeline of 2026.

BILL STATUS: Introduced in Senate State Affairs Committee

Week 5:

HB 561 – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

HB 561 was given a public hearing in the House State Affairs Committee on Monday, February 9. Mayor McLean provided testify on behalf of the city, defending the city’s ability to fly a flag in line with community values and ensuring lawmakers that the city was in compliance with state law. The committee ultimately voted to send the bill forward on a 12-2 vote. The bill was scheduled for a full-floor vote on Thursday, February 12 but was instead sent to General Orders in the House for possible amendments.

BILL STATUS: Passed House State Affairs Committee; awaiting amendments in House General Orders



HB 583 – Restrictions on Municipal Short-Term Rental Policies – OPPOSE

HB 583 was given a public hearing in the House Business Committee on Monday, February 9. The City of Boise submitted written testimony outlining concerns that the city would be unable to track and ensure safety compliance of short-term rentals in Boise if this bill became law. The committee voted 17-1 to send the bill to the House, where it then passed by a 54-16 House floor vote. The bill now heads to the Senate for possible consideration.

BILL STATUS: Passed the House; awaiting possible hearing in Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee



HB 676 – Municipal Geothermal Planning – SUPPORT

HB 676 was introduced on Friday, February 13 in the House Natural Resources Committee. This legislation is being brought by the City of Boise to address its needs in serving more businesses interested in connecting to the city’s geothermal utility. As the largest direct-heat geothermal system in the country, HB 676 allows the city to navigate a longer planning period with the ID Department of Water Resources to ensure it has the appropriate water rights needs to serve all current and future customers.

BILL STATUS: Introduced House Natural Resources Committee

Week 4:

HB 557 – Rollback on Municipal Antidiscrimination Laws - OPPOSE

HB 557 was given a public hearing on Monday, February 2 in the House Local Government Committee. After a three-hour public hearing, the committee passed the bill by a 13-3 vote. Then on Thursday, February 5, the bill headed to the House floor for a debate and vote. The bill was passed on a 53-16-1 vote and is now headed to the Senate State Affairs Committee for a possible public hearing.

BILL STATUS: Passed the House



HB 583 – Restrictions on Municipal Short-Term Rental Policies – OPPOSE

HB 583 is the return of similar legislation from the 2025 session (SB 1162) and 2024 legislative session (HB 506). HB 583 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 583 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 House Business Committee

Week 3:

HB 557 – Rollback on Municipal Antidiscrimination Laws – OPPOSE

HB 557 strips the authority of cities from enacting or enforcing any local ordinance that addresses antidiscrimination laws regarding employment, housing, or public accommodations if it does not align with current state protections. This means Boise’s long-standing ordinance providing protection based on sexual orientation, gender identity and income status would all become void.

Boise’s non-discrimination ordinance was enacted in 2012 due to concerns from residents and businesses regarding the lack of state-wide protections for LGBTQ Boiseans when seeking housing, employment or public accommodations. Limiting municipal tools to address problems locally leaves citizen problems either ignored or addressed with a one-size-fits-all state solution that doesn’t recognize local needs.

In order to compete nationally, Boise must remain a place where all employees feel comfortable, safe and welcome without fear of losing their job, losing their home or being turned away at a business. Boise’s non-discrimination policy provides local and national employers the security their workforce needs, which in turn boosts their recruitment and retention efforts ensuring greater productivity, sales and revenue.

BILL STATUS: House Local Government Committee; awaiting full House floor vote



HB 561 – Pride Flag Penalty Bill – OPPOSE

HB 561 seeks to prevent cities from flying any official city flag adopted after January 1, 2023. The bill also includes punitive enforcement mechanisms, including a $2,000 daily fine for every day an "unauthorized" flag is displayed along with the risk of an investigation by the Attorney General for noncompliance. In doing so, this legislation continues to erode local control while specifically targeting Boise’s LGBTQ community.

The city maintains that the Pride flag is a vital symbol of our commitment to being a "City for Everyone” and to ensure that our LGBTQ residents feel seen, respected, and safe in their own community.

BILL STATUS: Introduced House State Affairs Committee

Week 2:

SB 1229 – Partisan Elections; ACHD – OPPOSE

SB 1229 was introduced on January 23 in the Senate State Affairs Committee, where it intends to make all Ada County Highway District (ACHD) commissioner elections partisan. It also moves the election process so that commissioners would no longer be elected by district, but rather the county at large. As with previous attempts to change the structure of ACHD, this bill 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.

BILL STATUS: Introduced Senate State Affairs Committee

2026 City of Boise Legislative priorities Report

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