Legislative Watch: Important Program in Danger

Helping kids get food when they need it most  

​Why this Matters: The summer EBT program provides food assistance for over 136,000 school-age children in families with low-incomes. The program ensures children’s nutritional needs are met during the summer and any nonprofits serve communities that benefit from this program.

Call to Action: Email legislators to save summer food assistance

The Senate voted down a Health & Welfare supplemental budget bill, Senate Bill 1445, on Thursday of last week.  

The Summer EBT program is a federally funded initiative that provides food assistance to low-income families with school-aged children to purchase food when schools are closed for the summer. Eligible families would receive $40/child each month during the summer when the free and reduced-price school breakfast and lunch program is unavailable.  

Please contact your legislators and ask them to fund the Summer EBT Program.  

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​Amendments, updates, and where we are at 

Why this Matters: This session we’ve followed three main pieces of legislation. Below are updates on where they are at.
HB603 would limit State Sponsorships and Donations, in turn impacting the way nonprofits can partner with State Agencies.

• The legislation was amended, which changed the requirements for an agency from needing the governor’s approval to sponsor events to needing the director of the department's approval.
  
• Although the bill still seems unnecessary, we believe the amendments helped to take out the most damaging parts of the bill.
  
• The bill passed the Senate yesterday, but will return to the House to vote after amendments.  

H739 would endanger the property tax exemption of property for hospitals. It appears to be stalled for the year, having been sent to a committee that is no longer meeting.

• This is the second year in a row—with multiple attempts each year—of passing similar legislation, so it could make an appearance again next year and has implications for protecting tax exemptions for other types of 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

S1374 would legislate guns on public property leased by a private entity. It has been signed into law by the Governor, but not before amendments were added.

• The amendments make the bill less problematic for nonprofits holding events on public property, clarifying that any event on public property with “restricted access” (whether admission is charged or not) can still limit concealed carry of guns.
  
• This means that nonprofits can still restrict guns at events if they have “restricted access” for participants of the event only (e.g. temporary fencing/perimeter around event)

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​Sine die is in sight   

Why this Matters: There are still a few divisive budgets to agree on, but leaders are optimistic that this could be the last week.

​We have reached the 88th day of the Session and passed two target dates for adjournment, but the end is likely near.

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Get updates through Idaho Public Television 

Idaho Public Television offers Idaho In Session, a gavel-to-gavel service that includes live on-air and online coverage of the Idaho Legislature. 
 
You can also stay up to date on the latest legislative news on Idaho Reports, IdahoPTV’s weekly broadcast.