What is in the Center's Policy Agenda?

Bills We Are Taking a Stance On

Advocating For:

• H0450:  Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates: Would stabilize unemployment insurance tax rates for two years. This bill was signed into law by Governor Little on Feb. 18.
  • Nonprofit impact: Rate stabilization would reduce expenses for nonprofits, creating additional room in their budgets for their mission.
• S1272: Liquor donations for charities.
  • Nonprofit impact: Would allow a distiller to legally donate product to charities for events, auctions, etc., in the same way beer and wine can be donated to charities for this purpose.​

Advocating Against:

• H0581: This bill would feasibly make it a misdemeanor and fine employers (including nonprofits) for requiring a vaccine or classifying employees based on vaccine status. 
  • Nonprofit impact: Nonprofits should be able to regulate their own workplace health and safety protocols regarding the decision to require employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19. This bill would punish and/or make it nearly impossible for nonprofits to continue to require employees to be vaccinated. 

Contact your idaho legislator to let them know your opinion

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Idaho Nonprofit Center Advocacy Agenda

The Idaho Nonprofit Center’s Policy Agenda details the policy issues that affect the nonprofit sector and provides an outline for determining whether the Center will advocate for or against state or federal legislation. This is what guided us when making the above decisions.

We welcome comments and feedback on our draft policy agenda which can be viewed here. Feedback or comments can be sent to [email protected]. 

Our agenda centers around the following core areas:

1. Building Public Trust, Transparency, and Accountability in nonprofits
2. Increasing Charitable Giving Incentives and the Tax Code
3. Budget Appropriations – Maintaining & Enhancing Federal and State Resources for Nonprofits
4. Enhancing Nonprofit & Government Relations
5. Nonprofit Workforce Development, Employee Recruitment and Retention
6. Ensuring Nonprofit Advocacy and Lobbying Rights
7. Educating on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Issues in the nonprofit sector

View our 2022 Policy Agenda

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Other Noteworthy Bills for the Nonprofit Sector

• H0616: Would provide further clarification around privacy for private foundations and charitable trusts by requiring that they file only those business reports required under the state’s nonprofit act and consumer protection laws.
  • Nonprofit impact: This would only apply to charitable trusts and private foundations. All nonprofits, private foundations, and charitable trusts in Idaho must continue to comply with annual IRS reporting and filing requirements. 
• H0687: Appropriations bill for Idaho Commission on Aging which oversees contracts and grants for local Senior Centers, Meals on Wheels, and other senior services that many nonprofits provide in their local communities. 
  • Nonprofit impact: Seniors are a key client demographic for nonprofits in every community and it is essential to continue to fund programs that nonprofits provide such as Meals on Wheels, Senior Center services, and more. 
• H0617: Provides renter’s rights: requires that unit must be available and background check criteria disclosed before a landlord can accept an application fee, forbids the acceptance of multiple application fees, and requires that landlords compare renters to rental criteria only when considering an application.
  • Nonprofit impact: Nonprofits are at the center of helping resolve our housing crisis in Idaho. Many nonprofit housing organizations report extreme difficulties in getting their clients housed due to a shortage or rental inventory, exorbitant fees, and other barriers in the rental market that make it difficult for low and moderate income renters to successfully find housing.
• H0626: Provides that rental application fees cannot be charged until the application is being actively considered and processed, there is a unit available, and the applicant is first or second on a waiting list. 
  • Nonprofit impact: See previous comment on nonprofits working on the housing crisis in Idaho.
• H0582: Would allow nonprofits and their volunteers to construct single family homes without the need to subcontract work to licensed individuals.
  • Nonprofit impact: Some nonprofits in the housing space have raised concerns about this bill regarding the intent and practicality of this bill. ​​​

Idaho Nonprofit Center Bill Tracker
Track the status of all bills mentioned in the Legislative Watch as they make their way through the legislation using the online 2022 Bill Tracker. ​

Find the status of all bills mentioned in our 2022 bill tracker

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​Federal Updates

National Council Sign on Letter

Please join 50 other Idaho nonprofit peer organizations in letting Congress and the White House know about the unique challenges nonprofits are facing around the need for resources, disaster relief, addressing nonprofit workforce shortages, and promoting volunteerism.

Read and sign onto the letter here

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Idaho Legislature is Back in Session!

To stay up to date on what is happening in the 2022 Legislation and for more information, visit legislature.idaho.gov.

• Find the House Committee Agendas here
• Find the Senate Committee Agendas here
• You can access live audio/video streaming of sessions here

We will be hard at work tracking and educating on each bill that is relevant to nonprofits. Stay tuned!

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​Stay Connected with the Idaho Legislature: Idaho in Session & Idaho Reports

Idaho Public Television offers Idaho In Session, a gavel-to-gavel service that includes live on-air and online coverage of the Idaho Legislature. Meetings of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) and all other committees will be available online at idahoptv.org/insession.
Now in its 50th season, Idaho Reports, IdahoPTV’s weekly legislative news show, continues to bring viewers state government news and analysis, including updates on education, taxes and voter initiatives, and the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic each Friday at 8 PM. Look for Idaho Reports in audio form wherever you find your favorite podcasts, and read breaking news updates on the Idaho Reports blog at blog.idahoreports.idahoptv.org.