Why this matters:  Bill would create a chilling effect for nonprofits renting public space for events/parades. Organizations would be unable to adequately protect their community and could be priced out due to significant liability insurance increases.

INC position: Advocating Against 

Senate Bill 1310 was introduced last week by Senator Herndon (District 1) and would require that weapons be allowed to be carried on premises of any public space that is rented or leased, by a private entity and is free/open to the public.

Many nonprofits rent public spaces for open, free, public events and do not wish to have weapons for reasons of:

• safety
• discouraging intimidation
• liability insurance purposes

We will continue monitoring this bill and will send out a call for action if this bill has momentum. 

Why this matters: This would prohibit state departments from sponsoring non-governmental organizations (i.e., nonprofits) without permission from the governor and would drastically affect our sectors ability to partner with state government.

INC Position: Advocating against. 

Representative Monks has re-introduced a concept we saw last year that could drastically limit the ways nonprofits are able to partner with state departments. HB463 would prohibit Idaho’s twenty state departments from sponsoring any nonprofit without permission from the Governor.
We encourage you to contact your state representatives to share your concerns regarding this bill. To make it as easy as possible, we have a templated letter for you to insert your information and send to your representatives.

• find your representatives on the Idaho Legislative website
  

Why this matters: Outlines budget and policy priorities for the upcoming year.

On January 8th, Governor Brad Little delivered the 2024 State of the State Address and the FY2025 budget highlights. A few things to note for  nonprofits in Idaho:  

• Fully funds the Idaho LAUNCH program ($75 million), to ensure grants are awarded to up to 10,000 Idaho graduates. Grants may be used at any Idaho college, career technical program, or workforce training provider of their choice for an in-demand career.
  
  
• Provides an additional $806,000 for home delivered meals and to increase the reimbursement rate for congregate and home delivered meals by 25 cents per meal. This will assist Area Agencies on Aging (AAA’s) that are experiencing shortfalls and waiting lists for this critical program for seniors.  
  
  
• Recommends $125 million of state funding for ongoing property tax relief to be directed to local school districts to defray the costs of unmet capital construction needs. This is expected to provide more than $1 billion in long-term property tax relief.  

State Agency Sponsorship Bill Passes the House 

​Why this matters: This would prohibit state agencies from sponsoring non-governmental organizations (i.e., nonprofits) without permission from the governor and would add a misdemeanor charge of misusing public funds for those who don’t abide by the new criteria.
​
HB170, the bill that would prohibit Idaho’s 20 state agencies from sponsoring events, has passed the House and was sent to the Senate. We count on our state agency partners to expand our reach and amplify our missions. Adding extra layers of bureaucracy for state agencies to work with nonprofits would be detrimental to the work we do.   
 
Can you help?   

• Contact your State Senator and let them know how this could impact your organization. 
  • Email template

​CEO Testified at Senate Committee Meeting
​
Kevin Bailey, CEO of the Idaho Nonprofit Center, spoke against HB170 this morning during the Senate State Affairs committee meeting. The bill is moving forward to a floor vote. However, it will include modifications that allows for more flexibility. 

​Work still needs to be done to advocate for nonprofit funding and relationships with state agencies so please stay tuned for an upcoming action alert. There will be an opportunity to share your thoughts with your elected officials.

​Hospital Property Tax Exemptions At Risk 

Why this matters: Removing property tax exemptions from nonprofit healthcare institutions is a dangerous precedent that puts our whole sector’s property tax exemptions at risk.
H0109 and H0110 are similar bills that limit the property that hospitals can claim as exempt. This type of legislation could encourage healthcare facilities to consolidate into centralized facilities which would further impact the lack of access to care experienced in rural areas of Idaho.

Residents of Idaho could also feel the financial impact as the cost would have to shift to consumers, disproportionately affecting low-middle-income Idahoans.  

Take Action Now: talking points when communicating to elected officials below

• Taxing medical services and thus raising the cost of healthcare in the counties would absolutely be passed on to patients in the form of higher bills and fewer charitable benefits.
  
  
• Nonprofits paying taxes would lead to providing less charitable care, thus hurting the people most in need of charity care.
  
  
• Charitable nonprofits earn their tax-exempt status every day by giving up profits, privacy, and politics. 
  
  
• Incentivizing hospitals to keep medical equipment in large hospitals for tax purposes will limit the care available to rural areas of Idaho. 

Both bills were introduced by Rep. Josh Tanner. However, HO110 moves the question of a hospital’s property tax exemption to county commissioners instead of a statewide decision that is outlined in H0109.

Why this matters: Financial impact to Idaho Nonprofits

We have our first piece of legislation for this session that we are opposing: House Bill 12 (HB12).
The proposed legislation would prohibit state agencies from sponsoring non-governmental organizations (i.e., nonprofits) without permission from the governor and would add a misdemeanor charge of misusing public funds for those who don’t abide by the new criteria.

HB12 was introduced by Rep. Jason Monks, has been printed and referred to the State Affairs Committee, and has had a fair amount of media coverage. 

According to the state’s website, Idaho has 180 state agencies that would be impacted by this legislation. Many of those agencies have a purpose that aligns with the goals of nonprofits throughout the state. We count on our state agency partners to expand our reach and amplify our missions. Adding extra layers of bureaucracy for state agencies to work with nonprofits would be detrimental to the work we do.  

We need you to act.  

• Do you receive sponsorships from a state agency? Please respond to this email ([email protected]) describing your partnership so we can compile examples to share with the legislature.  
  
  
• Contact the House State Affairs Committee ([email protected]) or your Representatives and let them know how this could impact your organization.  
  • Email template  
    
    
• Contact the state agencies you personally work with and ask how this bill would impact them. 

State of the State
​
​On January 9, Governor Brad Little laid out his priorities in the 2023 State of the State and Budget Address. Although many subjects were mentioned, the following will have the most impact on nonprofits:

• Workforce Development: Governor Little stated that the availability of skilled workers is the #1 challenge facing Idaho employers, which includes nonprofits. His plan provides $15 million from ARPA for childcare infrastructure grants that will be facilitated in partnership with Idaho employers.
  
  
• Mental Health: Governor Little is expanding the work done from the recommendation of the Behavioral Health Council with $100 million dedicated towards improving mental health services, specifically in rural areas.
  
  
• Tax Relief: Governor Little is proposing $120 million to offset local property taxes and to fulfill the 2022 income tax reductions that were supported by four out of five voters in Idaho.

​
The new year comes with a new Idaho Legislative Session. Our policy team and I will be hard at work tracking and sharing each bill that is relevant to nonprofits. How can you be involved and advance your mission this year? 
​

Kevin Bailey, CEO, Idaho Nonprofit Center

Bills We Are Taking a Stance On

Advocating Against:

• H0740: Requires any Non-Governmental Organization that facilitates resettlement of refugees to report the name, age, sex, country of origin, and reason for resettlement to certain state and local agencies (this would be above and beyond what is already required for refugee resettlement vetting).
  • Nonprofit impact: Inclusion of additional personally identifying information above and beyond what is already required for the process poses grave privacy concerns for both refugees and nonprofits working with refugees. 

Find your Idaho legislator’s contact info here and let them know how your organization is impacted.

​Employee Retention Tax Credit Reinstatement Act
HR 6161, the bipartisan House Bill introduced in December 2021, would restore eligibility for the ERTC for the fourth quarter of 2021. This would potentially impact your nonprofit’s bottom line by providing a refundable tax credit. Learn more here.
Over 40 national charitable nonprofits have signed the ERTC coalition letter in support of the renewal of this legislation. It is now open for regional organizations to sign.

Yesterday, an Emergency Temporary Standard was made public concerning vaccination and testing requirements for larger employees.

We understand that not many Idaho nonprofits have 100+ employees. However, please read the NCN summary carefully to discern if your organization needs to comply.

If you are comfortable, you can contact Senator Crapo to communicate your opinion of the bipartisan Legacy IRA Act.
​
Background: In 2015, Congress passed the PATH Act, which included the IRA Charitable Rollover provision allowing individuals to make direct tax-free charitable gifts up to $100,000 annually from their IRA starting at age 70 ½. Since its enactment, the IRA Charitable Rollover has generated millions of dollars in new or increased contributions to local and national charities. The Legacy IRA Act builds on that success to expand the existing IRA Charitable Rollover, allowing seniors starting at age 65 to make tax-free IRA rollovers to charities through life-income plans (charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust).  It is estimated that seniors have up to $5 trillion in IRA assets. This offers a way for middle-income donors to combine charitable gifts with retirement income. It helps existing charities, as seniors typically make up more than half of their donors.

After deliberation regarding the pace and efficiency of Idaho’s 2021 Legislative Session, the Idaho Senate has voted to adjourn the longest session in Idaho’s history without an appointed date for resumption, while the House of Representatives voted to recess until the end of the calendar year. ​

As things progress, the Idaho Nonprofit Center will keep you updated on any other legislative actions sporadically, both locally and nationally, that have the potential to impact the nonprofit sector. ​

Reminder: PPP Extension
On Thursday, March 25th, the Senate passed HR 1799, the PPP Extension Act of 2021, extending the deadline for PPP applications from March 31 to May 31st, 2021. However, funds for the program are being used up quickly, so it is imperative to get to work on your application as soon as possible. Find more information at sba.gov.

Idaho’s COVID Vaccine Distribution Efforts: Beginning April 5th, there will be no prioritization of any group of people in obtaining appointments for vaccination. 
 
Read the INC’s guidance on the vaccine in your workplace here.
 
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension:
On Thursday, March 25th, the Senate passed HR 1799, the PPP Extension Act of 2021, extending the deadline for PPP applications from March 31 to May 31st, 2021. Stay on the lookout for further guidance from the SBA.
 
Employee Retention Tax Credit: Your nonprofit may be eligible to receive the ERTC if in 2020, your operations were either fully or partially suspended by a government order limiting commerce, travel, or group meetings due to COVID-19; or your gross receipts were less than 50 percent of those for the same quarter in the previous year.
 
Read the National Council of Nonprofits’ guidance on ERTC here.

The Idaho Nonprofit Center would like to thank the National Council of Nonprofits for Content Themes. ​