Idaho bill would require state agencies to identify obsolete statutes by Sept. 1, 2025

Rep. Mike Moyle, R.-10A, introduced a proposal Jan. 13 that would require state agencies to review their statutes and report items they consider unnecessary to the Legislature by Sept. 1, 2025.

"What this bill does is requires all state agencies by September first of 2025 to report back to the legislature what they think is unnecessary," Moyle said during the Idaho House State Affairs Committee meeting, adding that agencies may also, on a permissive basis, flag statutes outside their direct authority that appear obsolete.

The measure, filed as RS31897, would direct agencies to examine statutes for obsolescence or redundancy and submit findings through an online portal prescribed in the draft language. Moyle said the portal is intended to streamline submissions and ease the reporting burden on Legislative Services Office staff when compiling responses.

Committee members raised questions about workload and timing. Representative Polhonkus asked whether the Sept. 1, 2025, deadline gives agencies enough time and whether smaller agencies might need dedicated staff to complete reviews. Moyle said larger agencies are familiar with their statutory frameworks and should be able to identify candidates for repeal or amendment quickly, while acknowledging smaller agencies may face greater challenges. Representative Loyle expressed a similar view, saying larger agencies "know those codes better than you and I do because they live in those codes every day."

Representative Dygert asked whether the bill would create a fiscal impact or require additional funding. Moyle responded that agencies could "ask" if needed but that he did not anticipate the measure would require extra appropriations and urged agencies to find ways to complete the task within existing resources.

After brief discussion, a committee member moved to introduce RS31897. The committee approved introduction by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. The committee chair directed that the bill be introduced and the discussion closed.

The proposal follows a string of recent state actions Moyle said have drawn national attention for cutting or consolidating rules; he cited national outlets in that context. RS31897 would create a statute-level counterpart to prior rule-review efforts by requiring agency-initiated identification of statutes that could be repealed or revised.

If agencies submit the reports as required, the Legislature could use them during the next session to file proposals to amend or repeal identified statutes. The transcript did not specify whether the online portal or the reporting template is already developed, what form the submissions must take, or whether the Legislature would assign a staff lead for compilation beyond the current role of the Legislative Services Office.