Week 12
[Week 12] Legislative Update This Week’s Highlights:
🗝️Key Legislative Actions:
✔️STATE – Idaho House Bill No. 291: Idaho High Needs Student Fund
**House Bill No.291 failed to pass by a single vote (17–18)** This bill establishes a fund to assist with costs related to students with disabilities who require substantial supports. The funding will be allocated to districts and charter schools through an application process overseen by the State Department of Education.
✔️STATE – Idaho House Bill No. 236: Denial of Attendance, Enrollment
**The House voted on March 26th to approve the changes made in the Senate. It is now headed to the Governor’s desk** This bill expands reasons for denying school enrollment or attendance to include: habitual truancy, continues disruptive behavior, behavior deemed detrimental to the health and safety of other students, possession of a dangerous weapon, or previous expulsion or disenrollment due to safety concerns. Requires parents or guardians to disclose a student’s relevant criminal history when seeking enrollment.
✔️STATE and FEDERAL – Alex Adams, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Director since June 2024, has been nominated to serve as the HHS assistant secretary for family support. Director Alex Adams will now go through confirmation hearings. It is unknown who would take his place as the new Director of the Department of Health and Welfare.
✔️FEDERAL– House GOP Budget Plan Looking to Make $800 Billion in Cuts
The House Republican budget plan directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to find ways to cut the deficit by at least $880 billion over the next decade. While it doesn’t specifically name how those cuts will need to be made nor does it mention a specific program, advocates fear that these cuts cannot be achieved without primarily cutting Medicaid. Read more here: https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/house-republican-budget-cuts-medicaid-billions
The Consortium for Idahoans (CID), along with Idaho Voices for Children and Children, hosted a “Protect Medicaid” event on the Capitol Steps March 20, 2025 to educate federal and state lawmakers about the importance of Medicaid and its role in keeping people living in their home and communities as independently as possible.
👭Get Involved!
You can use IPUL’s “Power of a Personal Story” template to craft testimony to share with legislators. Other testimony tips can be found in the padlet as well. You will find all our tips at this link https://shorturl.at/kSLOf
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