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Senate commerce committee approves multiple licensing rule dockets; geologists, contractors and boards see fee or rule adjustments
Summary
The Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee approved a series of rule dockets affecting professional geologists, contractors, real estate brokers, and several licensing boards, including fee adjustments and deletions of rule language duplicative of statute.
The Idaho Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee on Jan. 21, 2025 approved several licensing and rulemaking dockets that change fee schedules, remove duplicative rule language and update licensing chapters across multiple boards.
Michelle Byrd, investigations program manager for the Building Construction and Real Estate Bureau at the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), presented multiple dockets that primarily renumber and streamline language across boards. Byrd said the Board of Registration for Professional Geologists docket, 24-0401-2401, renumbers sections for consistency, removes language duplicative of statute, aligns Idaho rules with model law from the Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG), and increases the annual renewal fee from $60 to $100 "to bridge the gap between expenditures and revenues, which currently this year was a net loss of approximately $21,000 annually," she said.
The committee approved Docket 24-0401-2401 on a motion to adopt made by Senator Ward Engle King and seconded by Senator Nichols.
Byrd also presented Docket 24-2101-2401 for the Idaho State Contractors Board and Docket 24-3701-2401 for the Idaho Real Estate Commission. For the contractors docket Byrd said the chapter was shortened by removing duplicative rules and adding the division administrator authority; there were no fee changes. The contractors docket was approved by the committee.
On the Real Estate Commission docket Byrd explained a change in the fee table affecting broker and salesperson license lines and told the committee the board has a cash balance of approximately $3,000,000 (162 percent of expenditures). Byrd said the fee adjustments "should decrease revenue by approximately $200,000 per year" to bring the fund balance closer to legislative intent; during committee action the panel approved the docket with the exception of Section 1502 Subsection A, which the committee rejected.
Katie Stewart, bureau chief for the administration bureau at DOPL, presented a series of temporary-rule dockets that lower fees in accordance with intent language in 2024 Senate Bill 1442. The Public Works Contractors License Board (Docket 24-3950-2501) and the Factory Built Structures board (Docket 24-3931-2501) each voted to reduce fees by 20 percent; the Building Safety/Building Code Board (Docket 24-3930-2501) voted to reduce permit fees by 30 percent. The committee approved those dockets.
Why it matters: These rule changes affect licensing costs for professionals and the revenue streams of state licensing boards. Fee increases or decreases change costs to licensees; deletions of duplicative rule language reduce regulatory text but do not change statutory requirements.
Votes at a glance: Docket 24-0401-2401 (Board of Registration for Professional Geologists) — adopted; Docket 24-2101-2401 (Idaho State Contractors Board) — adopted; Docket 24-3701-2401 (Real Estate Commission) — adopted with rejection of Section 1502 Sub A; Docket 24-3950-2501 (Public Works Contractors License Board) — adopted; Docket 24-3931-2501 (Factory Built Structures) — adopted; Docket 24-3930-2501 (Building Safety) — adopted.
Ending: Committee members asked procedural questions about duplication with statute and whether rules should remove statutory repetition; staff said they would take that feedback back to their boards. The committee recorded motions and carried each docket as noted; several dockets were approved unanimously by voice vote.
