Idaho Senate committee advances jury bill 

Potential jurors may have the option to instead work the election polls under a bill advancing in the Idaho Legislature. 

The Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday approved House Bill 560, which would allow county clerks to request from the jury commission that prospective jurors be given the choice to be excused from jury duty to serve as poll workers. 

Those who accept and volunteer as poll workers in an upcoming election would be excused from jury service for the next two years. 

The bill now goes to the Senate floor for consideration. It passed the House 68-0 with two members absent, and if approved by the Senate, would go to the governor for a signature or veto. 

Senate bill sponsor Sen. Phil Hart, R-Kellogg, said county clerks were in favor of the bill, which would allow them the option to seek more poll workers if they’ve determined there’s a shortage. 

Idaho House passes bill to restore presidential primary elections

A bill the Idaho House passed Monday would bring back the state’s presidential primary elections in March.

In 2024, instead of a typical presidential primary election, Idaho switched its process for voters to select presidential party nominees to a caucus. The shift came because the Idaho Legislature had seemingly unintentionally eliminated the presidential primary election through a 2023 bill.

Only about 7% of registered Republicans turned out for the GOP’s 2024 presidential caucus, which only allowed in-person voting. 

The Idaho House passed House Bill 638 with no debate on a 45-23 vote. 

“This bill seeks to bring it back exactly how it was before we lost it, puts it back in March,” bill sponsor Rep. Kyle Harris, R-Lewiston, told House lawmakers.

The bill would also require presidential candidates to pay a $50,000 fee to have their name on Idaho’s ballots. The fees are meant to help offset the state’s estimated $2.5 million cost to run the next presidential primary. 

Senate Bill 1366 would have the state hold primary elections in May. That bill was introduced last week in the Senate State Affairs Committee, but it has not yet received a committee hearing. 

House Bill 638 now heads to the Senate, where it could receive a committee hearing. To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate, and avoid the governor’s veto.

Restoration of wildfire budget cuts

The Idaho Legislature’s budget committee voted Monday to restore some of the state funding for wildfire protection and prevention that state legislators cut earlier in this year.

During its meeting Monday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC, voted to restore a total of $265,200 for the Idaho Department of Lands’ forest and range fire protection program. 

The funding, which is split between the current fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027, will go toward hiring seasonal firefighters to gear up for the upcoming wildfire season, standing up a new fire protection district in eastern Idaho and fire prevention. 

On Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, JFAC voted to cut budgets for most state agencies and departments in FY26 and FY27 in order to make room to pay for tax cuts championed by President Donald Trump and avoid a state budget shortfall.

On March 4, JFAC voted down proposals to restore the funding in this year’s budget and next year’s budget.

JFAC also voted down a proposal to restore wildfire funding in the fiscal year 2027 budget on Monday before Rep. Chris Bruce, R-Kuna, pushed to reconsider the budget and approve the funding. 

JFAC’s action on Monday restores most of the funding cut by the additional 1% and additional 2% state budget cuts that the Idaho Legislature added to the 3% state budget cuts that Gov. Brad Little approved last year.

The restored funding for the Idaho Department of Lands’ wildfire programs breaks down as follows: $124,900 for fiscal year 2026, $140,300 for fiscal year 2027. 

Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller told legislators that if they don’t restore the funding, it could lead to the state hiring fewer seasonal firefighters, reducing the amount of wildfire prevention work and jeopardizing the new eastern Idaho fire protection district. 

After JFAC voted down the first proposal to restore funding on March 4, Miller said that wildfires will still be fought aggressively in Idaho this year, but the state may have to rely more on its federal partners to fight those wildfires, which could increase costs in the long run. 

The restored funding for wildfire protection in fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027 still must head to the full Idaho House of Representatives and Idaho Senate for a vote before it is approved.