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Committee advances bill to let post council consider certifying applicants with some prior felonies
Summary
Senate Bill 1139 would permit state certification authorities to consider applicants with certain non-violent felonies for peace‑officer certification; the committee approved the measure and advanced it to the floor.
A Senate committee voted to send Senate Bill 1139 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. The bill would allow the post-certification council to consider applicants who have certain felony convictions that do not fall into the statutory list of disqualifying offenses.
Sheriff Chris Goetz explained the current law bars certification for anyone convicted of a felony, including some older dismissed or withheld-judgment cases, and that the bill would draw a line between the most serious disqualifying felonies and others that the council could evaluate on a case-by-case basis. He described an employee who had a 24-year-old grand-theft conviction later dismissed but who cannot obtain certification under the current rule; the proposed change would allow agency heads and the post council to assess rehabilitation, passage of time and other factors under Idaho Code § 67-9411.
Sen. Foreman moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; the motion was seconded and carried without recorded opposition in the committee transcript. The bill advances to the full Senate for additional consideration.
