In an effort to help Idahoans follow major bills, resolutions and memorials through the legislative process, the Idaho Capital Sun will produce a “legislative notebook” at the end of each week to gather information in one place that concerns major happenings in the Legislature and other news relating to state government.

Here is our quick rundown of the major happenings during the second week of the Idaho Legislature’s 2025 session.

Idaho Supreme Court chief justice gives the annual State of the Judiciary address

Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan went before the Idaho House of Representatives and the Idaho Senate on Wednesday to make the case for increasing pay for the state’s judicial branch. 

Data released by the court this month showed that salaries for Idaho Supreme Court justices ranked 50th among the United States and its territories, according to a July 2024 survey published by the National Center for State Courts. Bevan, in his speech, said pay for Idaho district judges ranks 48th out of 53 states and territories.

Bevan said his concerns extend beyond paying judges a fair salary for their work. He said low pay, increased caseloads and the complexity of cases all place a great strain on the court system.

“Experienced judges are leaving office early,” Bevan said. “Experienced attorneys are less interested in replacing them.”

Just before the 2025 legislative session began, the Idaho Supreme Court released its official proposal for judges’ salary increases. 

The proposed new wages for judges are:

• $215,000 per year, for Idaho Supreme Court justices, up from the current level of $169,508.
• $207,000 for a Court of Appeals judge, up from $161,508 currently.
• $201,000 for a district court judge, up from $155,508 currently.
• $193,000 for a magistrate judge, up from $147,508 currently.

The Idaho Legislature’s powerful budget committee, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, is the body that will ultimately decide on those proposals and send its recommendations on to the full Idaho House and Senate for consideration.

Proposals for pay increases for Idaho state employees hits a snag in budget committee

Pay increases for the judicial branch aren’t the only compensation for state employees that the budget committee will consider this year.

JFAC is also debating pay increases for Idaho’s 25,000 state employees, but those discussions devolved on Thursday and the committee didn’t take action on any of the considered proposals.

Some of the proposals considered included pay increases for teachers, others left teacher pay out completely, setting it aside for a separate decision at a later date. Some proposals included targeted pay increases for all IT and engineering staffers and others only included it for some IT and engineering staffers.

On Dec. 20, the Idaho Division of Human Resources recommended raises of 4% for state employees – saying turnover is an issue for the state and that state employees are so underpaid they all could go do the same job virtually anywhere else and be paid better.

In conjunction with his State of the State address, Gov. Brad Little recommended raises of 5% or $1.55 per hour for all state employees.

Last week, the Idaho Legislature’s Change in Employee Compensation Committee recommended raises of $1.55 per hour for all state employees. The Change in Employee Compensation Committee also recommended additional, targeted raises totaling 8% for Idaho State Police troopers, a 4.5% increase for IT and engineering staff and increases of $1.55 per hour or 3%, whichever is greater, for health care and nursing professionals.

JFAC did not set a new date to consider state employee pay, saying instead it will take up the pay increases later once more of the state’s financial projections have been analyzed. 

Legislation of interest during the second week of the 2025 session

• House Bill 11: Sponsored by Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, the bill introduced Tuesday would replicate a 2023 Texas law creating a new immigration-related crime called illegal entry. The bill would allow local law enforcement officers to check the documentation status of individuals. The first instance of a person being discovered as unauthorized by law enforcement would result in a misdemeanor charge, and a second occurrence would lead to a felony charge and deportation. The bill may be taken up by the House State Affairs Committee in the coming days of the session.
• House Bill 10: Sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, the bill introduced Tuesday would ban flags or banners in Idaho public school classrooms that “represent a political viewpoint, including but not limited to flags or banners regarding a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or a political ideology.” The bill will be on the House’s third reading calendar on Monday. It will be heard by the full House in the coming days of the session.
• House Bill 7: The Idaho House State Affairs committee held a public hearing, which included two hours of testimony, on Wednesday on the bill that would implement a $300 minimum fine for adults possessing three ounces or less of marijuana. The committee voted 10-4 in favor of the bill and sent it to the full House floor for consideration with a recommendation that it pass. The bill will be on the House’s third reading calendar on Monday. It will be heard by the full House in the coming days of the session.
• Senate Bill 1004: Idaho Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, introduced the bill to add housing and workforce anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Idahoans. She introduced it as a personal bill, a legislative maneuver that doesn’t follow the traditional path of a bill being introduced by a legislative committee. Wintrow said she introduced the legislation, which would add the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Idaho Human Rights Act, as a personal bill because GOP leadership in the Legislature has refused – for a decade – to hold a hearing on the legislation. The bill has essentially no way forward in the GOP supermajority-dominated Legislature and has little chance of passing.
• Senate Bill 1001: Sponsored by Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, the anti-SLAPP (which stands for strategic lawsuits against public participation) bill introduced Monday aims to protect free speech and curtail frivolous lawsuits. The bill may be taken up by the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee for a full public hearing in the coming days of the session.
• Senate Bill 1002: Sponsored by Sen. Brandon Shippy, R-New Plymouth, the bill introduced Thursday would decrease the fee for seniors to obtain a driver’s license from $35 to $30. He sponsored the bill after a constituent told him that seniors pay a higher cost for a four-year driver’s license than the general adult population. The bill may be taken up by the Senate Transportation Committee for a full public hearing in the coming days of the session.

What to expect next week at the Idaho Statehouse 

MLK Jr. Day celebration

The public is invited to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday at the Idaho Capitol Building in Boise. The event will feature guest speakers, dancers, singers and other performers from noon to 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Statehouse’s rotunda. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations for service projects to benefit Idaho organizations.

Idaho Senate confirmations

On Monday, multiple Idaho Senate committees will hold hearings for gubernatorial appointments and reappointments to state boards and commissions, including the reappointment of former legislator Shawn Keough to the State Board of Education, former legislator Luke Malek to the State Board of Correction and former legislator Marc Gibbs to the Idaho Water Resources Board. For a full list of the appointments to be considered, check out the full agendas for those committees online.

House Transportation and Defense Committee

On Monday, the committee is expected to hold a public hearing for House Bill 13, which would “establish an exemption for persons under eighteen years of age from the requirement to wear a helmet when riding in UTVs equipped with a roll cage and seat belts.”

“My oncology teams have told me plenty of times that if they could legally allow me to use medicinal cannabis, they would, and it would be beneficial for my circumstances. ” – Jeremy Kitzhaber, a U.S. Air Force veteran with disabilities, in his public testimony opposing House Bill 7, noting marijuana would have been used to ease pain and stimulate his appetite when he lost more than 40 pounds during his 150 rounds of chemotherapy and treatments for stage four cancer

Social media post of the week

Biden’s Green New Deal is trying to saddle Idaho with 241 windmills on 100,000 acres. Luckily, Idaho has @realDonaldTrump and @DougBurgum on our side! Lava Ridge is living on borrowed time. pic.twitter.com/19BywhgqLm

— Jim Risch (@SenatorRisch) January 17, 2025

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Photo of the week

Reporting from Idaho Capital Sun journalists Clark Corbin, Mia Maldonado and Kyle Pfannenstiel contributed to this legislative notebook.

HAGERMAN, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — It was a special night at Hagerman High School on Friday night as the Pirates boys basketball team (7-4) hosted the Murtaugh Red Devils (3-9).

Entering the game, senior Ky Kendall needed 20 points to reach the 1,000-point career mark.

Sitting at 17 with the fourth quarter starting, all eyes were on Kendall.

His teammates would find him quickly for a three-pointer to hit the mark.

The Pirates called a timeout and held a quick celebration for the senior.

Kendall would finish with 23 points and 16 rebounds as Hagerman would complete the regular season sweep over Murtaugh winning 70-36.

Wyatt Mavencamp had himself a day with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Will Mavencamp added 10 in the win.

Hagerman played with only five varsity players.

Other boy’s basketball scores

5A

Minico 58, Burley 40

Twin Falls 57, Jerome 28

• Ryker Rex scored 18 in the win for the Bruins.

4A

Gooding 54, Buhl 50

Snake River 71, Kimberly 61

2A

Butte County 50, Oakley 18

Valley 65, Raft River 29

Girls basketball scores

Highland (Poc) 48, Canyon Ridge 44

Copyright 2025 KMVT. All rights reserved.

As wildfires spread across homes in Southern California, Idaho Gov. Brad Little said the state of Idaho is working to prevent similar devastation from happening in Idaho. 

At a press conference on Friday morning in Boise, Little and state agency leaders shared progress on how the state is implementing recommendations from the governor’s office’s inaugural Wildfire Report created in August, including financing and improving fire mitigation technology, helping utilities protect their infrastructure and supporting legislation to help protect Idaho homes and insurance rates. 

“The devastating southern California fires are heartbreaking, and we continue to pray for the many families impacted,” Little said. “However, the extent of the damage is, unfortunately, not altogether surprising. The decisions of California’s elected leaders have made many places in the Golden State unsafe to live. The opposite is happening in Idaho. We are strategically and proactively reducing fire risk and ensuring Idahoans’ property is covered.”

For the 2026 fiscal year, Little is recommending $100 million for fire management in Idaho — $60 million of which would replenish the Fire Suppression Deficiency Fund depleted during the 2024 fire season and $40 million which would cover the five-year average of fire suppression expenditures. The governor’s budget also includes funds to support wildland firefighter bonuses to help recruit workers. 

Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller said Idaho’s population — which hit 2 million people last year — is growing. That means the department is seeing more human caused fires than before, and there are more fires in the wild and urban interface, he said.

Miller said the department is working to establish enhanced fire detection camera tools, satellite protection services and enhancing the state’s aviation management program.  

Richard Stover, the administrator of the Idaho’s Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources, said his office is also investing in protecting utility infrastructure through its Idaho Energy Resiliency Grant Program. 

This year, the grant has funded 23 projects across Idaho, costing $22 million, to help mostly small rural municipal cooperative utilities protect their power lines and transmission poles from wildfire, he said. 

As for out of state partnerships, Idaho Office of Emergency Management Director Brad Richy said he is proud of Idaho’s ability to help other states during natural disasters. 

“The greatest thing about Idaho is the neighbors helping neighbors,” Richy said, noting that the office has sent 104 Idaho firefighters to suppress the fires in California.

Idaho Department of Insurance director proposes bill to ease wildfire risk, insurance rates

On Wednesday, Idaho Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron introduced a bill to help homeowners mitigate wildfire risk and stabilize the insurance market in Idaho. 

This year, nearly one million acres burned from wildfires in Idaho. Additionally, 140 structures were burned by fire — 41 of which were residences — Cameron told the House Business Committee on Wednesday.

‘No agency can do this alone’: Idaho officials address goals to mitigate wildfires

At the press conference, Cameron said his office regularly receives calls from individuals whose homeowners insurance is going up or their insurance is dropping their coverage.

There are 91 insurance companies in Idaho that sell homeowners insurance. In 2023, 22 of those companies asked to discontinue or not renew their policies in Idaho, Cameron said.

“Now we’re getting calls given the California fires about how to harden their homes, how to prevent the loss of property,” he said. 

The purpose of House Bill 17, called the “Idaho Wildfire Risk Mitigation and Stabilization Pool Act,” is to assist homeowners against wildfire, keep insurance rates down and attract insurance companies to Idaho. 

The bill would create a financial pool from existing resources to provide grants to homeowners to create fire mitigation upgrades on their property. These upgrades may include roof replacements, mesh screen installations and shrubbery reduction, Cameron told the committee on Wednesday. It would have no impact on the general fund. Additionally, the bill would create a 12-member board consisting of state officials, insurance, forest products, and fire industry experts who would develop strategies to stabilize the insurance market.

Cameron said some southern states have implemented a similar pool of funds for hurricanes, which effectively led to a drop in insurance rates in those states.