BOISE, Idaho — The start of a new fiscal year brings new laws starting July 1. Idaho will enact more than 253 new laws to begin the month, dating back – mostly – to the 2023 legislative session.
A significant number of these bills – now turned to law – relate to funding, appropriations and budgets. However, several laws drew debate and controversy through the session.
Senate Bill 1254: This law dates back to the 2022 legislative session, removing state requirements to test car emissions.
Advocates of the law suggest newer cars are more eco-friendly and emission tests are no longer necessary. Others fear this move will negatively impact local air quality and abolish private emissions testing businesses.
House Bill 124: This law removes student identification cards from the list of acceptable ID forms for use in state voting booths. A student wanting to vote in Idaho elections must provide a different ID, which could include a state driver’s license.
"My constituents are concerns that students, maybe from a state like Washington or Oregon where they vote by mail, may come here with their ID and vote in person, then fill out a ballot from another state and vote twice," bill sponsor Rep. Tina Lambert (R - Caldwell) said.
House Bill 186: This law reinstates the firing squad as an acceptable execution method in the event the necessary drugs to perform a humane lethal injection are not available.
"That's punishment. This is the just punishments under the laws in our state," bill sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug (R - Nampa) said.
The Idaho Department of Correction has had difficulty receiving the necessary lethal injection drugs, KTVB previously reported. The state has not carried out an execution since 2012.
Senate Bill 1100: This law mandates Idaho public schools segregate bathrooms and locker rooms strictly on the basis of biological sex. Transgender students, for example, must use the bathroom corresponding with their biological sex.
The law is intended to protect student privacy, according to bill sponsor Rep. Ben Adam (R-Nampa).
"It's taking us back to separate but equal. That is what that feels like," Emilia Connelly told KTVB after testifying against the bill in committee. "It's like a punch in the gut. I don't say that as a figure of speech. It feels like that."
A complete list of new laws taking effect at the start of the fiscal year can be found by clicking here.
Editor's note: The "Clean Slate Act" previously listed in this story goes into effect on January 1, 2024.
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