Representative Steve Miller
2025 Legislative Update
For Week 9 Ending March 7, 2025
Current Issues
Things have really picked up the last couple of weeks. The calendar board has been full requiring afternoon sessions to keep up with the flow of bills. There are over 50 bills on the board in this photo.
S1032 passed the floor today. It provides for a distraction free learning environment. Primarily aimed at cell phones and electronic equipment, it gives the individual school boards the opportunity to design it for their district. It has been shown that removal of cell phones from the classroom has positive influence on learning and attitude.
H138 was a Medicaid waivers bill. It has been replaced by H345 that passed this week removing a number of issues people objected to including the 3 year limit of eligibility and the 50,000 participation cap. An able-bodied adult is defined as a person who is childless, aged 18 to 64 who are not caretakers, healthy and not receiving disability benefits. They have incomes up to 138% of poverty level (1 person $20,345, 2- $27,495, 3- 34,645, family of 4- $41,795).Forty seven percent (47%) of this group is not working. The work requirements include 20 hours per week work or public service or education enrollment. It sets up a managed care plan and addresses broader issues of controlling costs of Medicaid.
H166 provides for public notices to be placed on the Controllers website and an abbreviated summary for newspapers. It is estimated $1 million savings for cities and counties and $1 million for state agencies. It will cost $570,000 to set up and $300,000 per year to operate. Newspapers, particularly small local newspapers, are going to take a hit.
MillerTime
The LD 24 legislators provided 6 Townhall meetings beginning in Gooding then going to Hagerman, Buhl, Filer, Kimberly and Hansen. They were well attended, and we plan to do another in the latter half of March. More later.
CSI held a Legislative Forum for LD 24, LD 25 and LD 26 legislators. It was well attended with an audience of about 250.
The 4H students were at the Capital for Know Your Government. I attended the legislative breakfast. It is always encouraging to see these kids so interested in learning how things work.
I attended the Idaho Ag Summit strolling dinner and met many of Leadership Idaho Agriculture (LIA) class.
My legal tender bill, H177, passed 66 aye 3 nay in the House and is on 3rd reading calendar in the Senate. This is the first step in legalizing value based legal tender in Idaho. This bill makes US and domestic mint silver and gold coin or bullion stamped with purity and weight legal tender in Idaho. It is a willing seller, willing buyer agreement. No person or entity may compel another person or entity to tender or accept gold or silver coin unless agreed upon both parties. H40 removes state capital gains from silver and gold.
The Week
Representative Clow brought HJM 5 which states findings of the Legislature and opposition to Lava Ridge wind development and requests further federal intervention. The executive power from President Trump is a short-term fix. The next liberal president could reverse it. We need our federal Senators and Representatives to pass legislation blocking projects, such as Lava Ridge, from being built on federal lands.
H134 requires insurance companies to pay for breast cancer screening. It is surprising that they don’t already. One early catch by screening pays for an awful lot of screening tests.
H235 establishes a “An Appeal to Heaven” license plate
HJM6 calls for Congress to remove Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) from water and resources issues. Non-profit environmentalist organizations file many suits because they know they will collect the fees. It’s time to level the playing field and remove obstructionist and frivolous cases from the docket.
H334 changes state water plan recharge goal from 250,000 acre feet to 350,000 acre feet for the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer (ESPA). This is the state’s support of the recent water agreement. I believe it is essential that this target be incorporated with a long term recharge plan to attain a sustainable target levels of not only the ESPA, but all of the aquifers in the state.
H98 limits taxpayer dollars being used for teachers union activities including time off for union officials, districts paying for union dues, districts deducting union dues from paychecks, use of facilities for union activities, etc.
House Session & Votes
H323 provides for protection of vulnerable adults from financial exploitation and financial fraud. It allows notification of people on an account to be notified, give 15 days to investigate potential fraud. With the advent of technology and AI, it is sometimes very difficult to determine what is genuine and what is not. There are 40 states with similar legislation.
HJR4 seeks constitutional amendment that only the legislature have power to legalize growing, producing, manufacturing, transporting, selling, delivering, dispensing, administering, prescribing, possessing, or using of marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances. It turns out that coffee is NOT a psychoactive substance!!!
Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC)
JFAC was able to agree on a revenue number of $6.4 billion dollars. That is a 6.8% increase over the 2025 budget number of $5.99 billion.
JFAC is essentially finished with presentations, so the work groups have twice as much time to go through their remaining budgets. About half the budgets have been approved by the committee and are on or being sent to the House and Senate floor.
Community Colleges, Commerce, Juvenile Corrections and Corrections Management budget motions were approved on Friday. These will be written as bills and sent to the House and Senate.
Agricultural Affairs Committee
H173 allowing the Alfalfa & Clover Commission to increase their assessment from ¼ cent to 1 cent per pound and allow a U of I representative on the board. It was sent to floor with a do pass.
The Idaho Wine Commission presented to the committee. There are 1700 acres of grapes in Idaho that produced $314 million revenue in 2022. It costs $25,000 per acre to prepare, plant, and install irrigation then 3 years before production can be harvested. Idaho has a very good blend of soils and climate to produce high quality grapes.
S1026 popularly known as the “chicken bill” failed in committee. It would have allowed up to 4 chickens per .2 acre (8,712 sq ft). The bill had some other language relating to small animals that was somewhat confusing.
A presentation of Idaho’s seed industry revealed that the US in the #1 seed producer in the world and Idaho is the #1 seed producer in the US. It is a $1.9 billion dollar business in Idaho.
Resources and Conservation Committee
S1093 establishing that people with unpaid fines cannot get hunting, fishing or trapping licenses, tags or permits. It was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
H128 allowed sabot rounds to be used in muzzle loader hunts. It was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
S1040 enables water districts to enter into a recharge agreement as long as they don’t do it for profit. It was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
S1041 allows IDWR or the water district to appoint a manager for a lateral where there is disagreement of water management. It DOES NOT allow IDWR or the water district to take control, only to aid the lateral users in resolving the dispute. It was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
S1013 allows trapper education when a trapper license is applied for. It was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
S1012 allows for a depredation appeals board. Sometimes it takes 2 days for an official to get to the site. By that time much of the evidence is eaten or destroyed. It allows a stock owner to take pictures and provide evidence of the kill. The board is comprised of the Director of the Department of Agriculture, the Director of F&G and a large animal veterinary appointed by the Governor. It was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
Bill Highlights – Too Many to List!!
It is an honor to serve as your Representative in the Idaho House of Representatives. Please forward this update to anyone you feel would be interested in receiving it. If you send me an email, list your town or city in the subject line. Thanks.
Representative Steven Miller
District 24B
Camas, Gooding, and Rural Twin Falls Counties
Idaho State Capitol
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0038
208-332-1061
SMiller@house.idaho.gov
Common Sense Solutions 