Legislative Watch

During the Idaho legislative session (January through April) the Nonprofit Center sends out bi-weekly email newsletters that covers potential bills that could impact the Idaho nonprofit sector at state and federal levels. Current areas or focus are:
  • ​Protecting nonprofit property tax exemptions 
  • Building public trust, transparency, and accountability in the nonprofit sector
  • Maintaining Nonprofit Advocacy and Lobbying Rights and Protecting the ‘Johnson Amendment’
  • Maintaining budget appropriations for nonprofits from state and federal sources
  • Expanding charitable giving incentives in tax code
  • Seek or expand policy solutions that benefit a strong nonprofit workforce as nonprofits are the fourth largest private sector employer in Idaho 

Bill Tracker

2026 Idaho Legislative Session (House) 
Bill # Bill Title Summary Status Policy Category Our Position Resources
H508 Bike, pedestrian projects, federal funds Updates code to allow for federal funds/grants to be a reason for doing bike or pedestrian projects that are attached to highway projects. In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Recreation Monitoring
HJR007 Sectarian (religious) appropriation, prohibition Proposes a constitutional amendment that would repeal the 'Blaine amendment' which prohibits public funding for sectarian (religious purposes) Failed in House Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring
H529 Health care cash payments Establishes provisions regarding certain out‑of‑pocket payments for health care services, including allowing covered persons to negotiate lower prices and ensuring those negotiated payments count toward cost‑sharing requirements. In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Healthcare Monitoring
H558 Children, federal benefits Would require the Department of Health and Welfare to apply and preserve available Social Security survivor benefits for children in the department’s legal custody, ensuring those benefits are accessed and maintained on behalf of the child. Sent to Senate Floor Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring
H559 Internal revenue code conformity Conforms Idaho's tax code to mirror changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill, with some exceptions. Would decrease state revenue sources by and estimated $175M annually, and put pressure on cuts to human services. Signed into Law Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy
HJR008 State owned lands HJR 8 proposes an amendment to the Idaho Constitution to prioritize revenue-generating uses and public access for recreation on state endowment lands, while restricting sale or exchange below appraised value. Sent to House Floor Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Recreation Monitoring
HJM012 Joint Memorial HJM 12 is a formal objection by the Idaho Legislature to a proposed Utah fuel export tax, warning it would unfairly burden Idaho businesses, (e.g. nonprofits), employees, and residents. Sent to House Floor Nonprofit Operations Advocating For
H562 Insurance, cancel and nonrenewal Updates Idaho insurance law to extend the required notice periods for policy cancellations and nonrenewals for commercial/residential property insurance—from 30 or 45 days to 60 days in most cases—and clarifies procedures for informing insured parties. The bill aims to improve consumer protections by ensuring businesses and individuals have more time to respond to changes in their insurance coverage. Passed House; Sent to Senate Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H583 Short term rentals Limits how Idaho cities and counties can regulate short-term rentals by prohibiting local rules that impose additional burdens compared to other residential properties. Sent to Senate Floor Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
H592 Patient immigration status data Requires hospitals to ask patients to self-report their immigration status upon admission and to submit quarterly reports to the Department of Health and Welfare. The state will use this data to compile annual reports on immigration-related hospital usage and uncompensated care impacts In Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H607 Privacy & Safety (Bathrooms) in buildings Requires publicly accessible buildings to maintain sex-separated restrooms (with some exceptions) to protect individuals' privacy and safety from members of the opposite sex. Bill would have the effect of exposing nonprofits to civil lawsuits if they have restroom policies aligned with using the bathroom according to gender identity (as opposed to biological sex) Passed House; Sent to Senate Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H611 Insurance, prior authorization Creates standardized timelines, electronic submission requirements, transparency rules, and reporting requirements for health insurers’ prior authorization processes. In Committee Strong nonprofit workforce Monitoring
H613 Polling places, liability protection for private businesses Limits civil liability for nonprofit organizations, volunteers, and private facilities serving as polling places during elections and extends existing volunteer immunity protections to election-related activities. The bill also directs the state to provide self-funded liability coverage for qualifying private polling locations and clarifies that use of tax-exempt property as a polling place does not jeopardize its property tax exemption. Sent to Senate Floor Building public trust Monitoring
H641 Use of earned sick leave Prohibits employers that offer sick leave from counting properly used sick leave as an absence that could result in discipline or other adverse employment action. The bill does not require employers to provide sick leave but sets limits on verification requests and clarifies that unused sick leave does not require payout upon separation. Failed in House Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H700 Aliens (undocumented immigrants), unlawful employment Makes it a misdemeanor for employers, labor organizations, and agents to knowingly hire, continue employing, recruit, or refer individuals who are not lawfully authorized to work in the United States, and requires employers to discontinue employment if work authorization expires Passed House; Sent to Senate Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H701 Rental application fees Prohibits property owners or managers from charging more than two applicant households per unit at the same time and requires disclosure of screening criteria and completion of the screening process before collecting fees . The bill also requires that fees reflect actual screening and processing costs, restricts fees to applicants needing background checks In Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H704 Unauthorized workers, e-verify Requires all employers to enroll in and use E-Verify to confirm work authorization for new hires, prohibits knowingly employing unauthorized workers, and allows the Attorney General to enforce violations through civil actions and license suspensions or revocations Passed House; Sent to Senate Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H707 Land divisions, process, ADUs Allows cities and counties to create an administrative process to divide land containing an approved or existing accessory dwelling unit for mortgage or financing purposes without requiring a full subdivision process, provided no additional density or residential entitlements are created . Sent to House Floor Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
H711 School Administration, alternative pathways to leadership (includes nonprofit leadership) Establishes an alternative pathway for school administrator certification that allows individuals with leadership experience—including those from nonprofit organizations—to serve as principals or superintendents under a three-year interim certificate with required coursework and mentoring . This may benefit nonprofit workforce employees by creating a new career pathway into school leadership for experienced nonprofit managers and executives, while enabling districts to draw on community-based leadership talent to address administrator shortages Passed House; Sent to Senate Committee Strong nonprofit workforce Monitoring
H723 Childrens residential facilities Updates oversight of licensed children’s residential care facilities by requiring annual unannounced inspections, confidential resident interviews, individualized service plans, critical incident reporting, and the creation and enforcement of a Youth Bill of Rights Sent to Senate Floor Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Youth/Foster Monitoring
H724 Foster children, safety rights Establishes a Foster Child Safety section in Idaho Code outlining specific rights for children in foster care, including protections from abuse, access to medical care, safe placements, and court consideration of safety concerns during visitation and placement decisions Sent to House Floor Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Youth/Foster Monitoring
H730 SNAP, integrity and certification Establishes additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) integrity measures, including mandatory data matching with the Idaho Lottery and other state and federal agencies, stricter income and resource verification standards, shorter certification periods for certain households, and expanded public reporting of fraud and noncompliance data . For nonprofits serving SNAP participants, the bill may increase administrative scrutiny and eligibility reviews for clients In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Human Services Monitoring
H731 Federal Scholarship Opt In Directs Idaho to participate in the federal tax credit scholarship program under Section 70411 of P.L. 119-21 and requires the State Department of Education to annually identify and certify qualified scholarship granting organizations operating in the state . For nonprofits, the bill may create new opportunities for eligible scholarship-granting organizations to receive federally supported contributions beginning in tax year 2027, with implementation effective July 1, 2026 Sent to Senate Floor Expanding charitable giving incentives Advocating For
H732 Sales tax exemption, Salvation Army Adds the Salvation Army to the list of qualified organizations eligible for Idaho sales tax exemptions In Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H755 Sales tax exemption, review, expire Would require annual legislative review of all sales tax exemptions and recommendations to legislature on whether exemptions should continue. Would also sunset exemptions unless legislature renews the exemptions. In Committee Protecting nonprofit tax exemptions Advocating Against
H760 Low-income (housing) nonprofit property tax exemption Updates code to provide a property tax exemption for affordable housing developments and allows nonprofits who partner with for profit developers to use this exemption and take advantged of other federal incentives. Passed House; Sent to Senate Committee Protecting nonprofit property tax exemptions Monitoring
H764 Concealing, shielding aliens (undocumented immigrants) Makes it a crime for organizations who 'knowingly' provide certain types of aid to undocumented immigrants, including shelter, financial assistance, and transportation, among others. Died in committee Nonprofit Operations Advocating Against Link to the memo on our bill tracker from H693
H800 Manufactured homes Housing related bill that deals with manufactured homes and lot/zoning requirements. Sent to House Floor Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
H801 Development on religious land Requires cities to allow multifamily and mixed-use housing development on land owned or long-term leased by religious organizations without requiring zoning changes or special permits. In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
H802 Multi-family dwelling Requires cities and counties to allow multifamily residential housing developments in areas zoned for commercial use, subject to the same objective siting and design standards applied to other commercial projects In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
H808 Medical Mandates Revises Idaho law to prohibit state and local governments, schools, and many businesses from requiring medical interventions—such as vaccines—as a condition for employment, services, or access to facilities, unless required by federal law. In Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H809 Child protection, school of origin Amends provisions in Idaho’s Child Protective Act and establishes a process for “school of origin” hearings to determine whether children in foster care should remain in the school they attended prior to removal from their home. The bill creates a presumption that remaining in the school of origin is in the child’s best interest and allows parents, guardians, or guardians ad litem to request a court hearing to challenge school placement decisions. In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Youth/Foster Monitoring
H828 Merit based healthcare Prohibits health care providers participating in Idaho’s Medicaid program from using diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies or considerations in hiring, employment practices, training, or public communications funded by Medicaid. The bill requires compliance as a condition of Medicaid participation and authorizes enforcement by the attorney general, including civil penalties and a limited private right of action for retaliation. In Committee Nonprofit Operations Monitoring
H850 Medicaid Expansion, repeal Repeals sections of Idaho law related to Medicaid expansion and legislative approval requirements tied to that expansion. In Committee Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring Form to email committee members
 2026 Idaho Legislative Session (Senate)
Bill # Bill Title Summary Status Policy Category Our Position Resources
SJR103 State Trust Lands SJR 103 proposes a constitutional amendment to prohibit the sale of certain public lands acquired from the federal government and place them in a permanent public trust. These lands would be managed to support public access, recreation, habitat, and education, with revenue directed to a new Public Lands Trust Fund. Sent to Senate Floor Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Recreation Monitoring
S1247 Idaho e-verify act Would require private employers (including nonprofits) with over 150 employers who do $100k+ of business with state/local government annually would be required to enroll and use e-verify for employment verification Passed Senate; Sent to House Committee Strong nonprofit workforce Monitoring
S1263 Short term rentals, regulations Prohibits cities and counties from banning short-term or vacation rentals and limits local regulation to specified health, safety, zoning, and registration requirements, including restricting when licenses or permits may be required In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
S1264 Rural Health Transformation Establishes the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund and a seven-member Rural Health Transformation Committee to oversee federal grant dollars supporting rural healthcare innovation and infrastructure. The committee is tasked with reviewing project proposals, ensuring compliance with federal guidelines, tracking outcomes, and recommending legislative actions as needed Sent to Senate Floor Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring
S1266 Foster care, kin placement Revises Idaho’s child protection and foster care statutes to strengthen court oversight of review and permanency hearings, clarify definitions, and require additional documentation related to educational stability, sibling placement, psychotropic medication use, and efforts toward permanent placement. The bill also updates kinship foster care licensing standards and authorizes courts to order extended foster care for eligible youth up to age 23 Passed Senate; Sent to House Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Youth/Foster Monitoring
S1267 Medicaid, adults with disabilities study Directs the Idaho DHW to study and evaluate policy options to better support individuals enrolled in or transitioning from the Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities program and certain home- and community-based services participants. In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Healthcare Monitoring
S1278 Local land use, housing on religious land Permits multifamily and mixed-use housing on religious land and prevents local governments from imposing various zoning barriers or mandates that deter religious institutions from building housing. In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
S1318 Refugee resettlement, audit Requires Idaho-incorporated entities that provide refugee resettlement services under federal contracts to submit an annual audit to the Idaho Legislature detailing the number, demographics, locations, language participation, housing use, and communicable disease rates of refugees served . The bill also prohibits such entities from aiding “illegal aliens” and requires disclosure of identifying information for any assisted individuals lacking lawful status In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Human Services Monitoring
S1341 Campaign finance (and ballot measures) The bill regulates electioneering communications (already prohibited for 501c3s) and ballot measure advocacy (which is allowed for 501c3). Nonprofits engaged in ballot measure advocacy may trigger additional reporting requirements under this bill In Committee Maintaining nonprofit advocacy protections Monitoring
S1347 Idaho Housing and Finance Assoc. Requires Idaho Housing and Finance Association to annually report detailed information on federal homelessness funding received (and their nonprofit subgrantees) through Continuum of Care and Emergency Solutions Grant programs, including recipient data, spending, and project outcomes. The report must include de-identified information on services provided, program results, and housing outcomes for individuals and households served, and be submitted to the governor and legislature In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
S1352 Starter home subdivisions Prohibits local governments and homeowner associations from banning or unreasonably restricting “starter home subdivisions” on qualifying residential land In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
S1353 Twin home, duplex regulations Prohibits local governments and restrictive covenants from banning or unreasonably restricting twin homes and duplexes in residential zones where single-family dwellings are permitted, except in historic districts. In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
S1354 Accessory Dwelling Units Prohibits local governments and homeowner associations from banning or unreasonably restricting accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in residential zones and requires jurisdictions to allow at least one ADU per lot, with additional allowances based on lot size In Committee Nonprofit Subsector Awareness: Housing Monitoring
S1361 Approp. Maintenance (Budget) - Public Safety S1361 appropriates fiscal year 2027 funding for Idaho’s public safety agencies, including the Department of Correction, Department of Juvenile Corrections, and Idaho State Police, covering prison operations, community supervision, and treatment programs. The bill includes funding for community-based substance use disorder treatment and reentry-related services, which may support or contract with nonprofit providers serving justice-involved individuals. Sent to Senate Floor Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring
S1363 Approp. Maintenance (Budget) - Natural Resources The bill funds environmental, water infrastructure, and recreation programs administered by state agencies that may provide grants or partnership opportunities for nonprofit organizations involved in conservation, watershed restoration, outdoor recreation, and community environmental projects. Some nonprofits may also participate in projects supported through water quality, remediation, or park-related funding streams. Sent to Senate Floor Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring
S1365 Campaign finance/ballot initiatives, religious orgs Exempts religious organizations from certain reporting requirements when making expenditures to support or oppose ballot measures. The exemption applies when the organization’s spending on ballot initiatives is less than 10% of its total receipts from the prior calendar year. In Committee Maintaining nonprofit advocacy protections Monitoring
S1373 Approp. Maintenance (Budget) - Econ Development / Workforce Appropriates funding for fiscal year 2027 to multiple economic development and regulatory agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Labor, as well as the Idaho Commission for Libraries and Idaho State Historical Society. The bill funds programs such as broadband expansion, workforce development, conservation initiatives, and cultural preservation, some of which administer grants or partner with nonprofit organizations. Sent to Senate Floor Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring
S1374 Idaho Childcare Program Creates the Idaho Child Care Program to administer federal child care funding and assist low-income families who are working, in education or training, or receiving certain child welfare services with paying for child care. The bill establishes eligibility requirements, provider participation standards, fraud prevention and oversight measures, and authorizes the Department of Health and Welfare to manage program operations, including waiting lists and technology systems to monitor payments In Committee Strong nonprofit workforce Monitoring
S1375 Approp. Maintenance (Budget) - Health and Welfare The bill funds multiple Department of Health and Welfare programs—including domestic violence services, substance use prevention, disability services, and child welfare programs—that distribute grants or contracts to nonprofit service providers across Idaho. Nonprofits delivering behavioral health, victim services, youth prevention, and independent living supports may receive funding through these programs. In Committee Maintaining budget appropriations Monitoring
Ongoing Federal Bills
Bill # Bill Title Summary Status Policy Category Position Resources
HR2891 IRA Charitable Rollover Facilitation and Enhancement Act of 2025 This bipartisan bill, introduced in the House, would make an amendment to current code by allowing donors to make Qualified Charitable Distributions to donor advised funds (DAFs), which is currently not allowed. In committee Expanding charitable giving incentives Advocating For Link to bill author's press release

Ongoing Federal Topics

​Executive Orders, Funding Questions, and Strategies

Navigating the recent Executive Orders
  • This chart outlines some of the EOs that may affect nonprofits directly or indirectly.

Executive Orders FAQ
  • There are so many executive actions being taken by President Trump. Which ones do I have to worry about?

What to do if your Federal Grant is Cancelled
  • Additional information as more information about the impact of the Administration’s actions on federal grants and contracts arises. 

Communications Guide
  • This guide is intended to help our community tell the value story of the nonprofit community, before it is defined by others.

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