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Committee forwards bill to classify DOPL attorneys as nonclassified state employees
Summary
Senate Bill 1056 would add Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses attorneys to the list of nonclassified professional employees, aligning them with other state legal professionals; the Senate Commerce Committee gave the bill a due-pass recommendation.
The Senate Commerce Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1056 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after sponsor Senator Todd Lakey described the measure as a technical alignment of attorney positions.
Senator Lakey said the bill adds attorneys employed by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) to the statutory list of nonclassified professional employees, putting them in the same category as attorneys in the attorney general’s office, the public defender’s office, and other professional legal staff. "This bill adds DOPL’s attorneys to the list of non classified professional employees," Lakey told the committee, saying the change makes employment classification and compensation consistent across similar legal roles.
Lakey summarized the broader context: Idaho law distinguishes classified employees (typically hourly positions) from nonclassified employees (typically salaried professionals), and certain Fair Labor Standards Act considerations and hiring/compensation rules differ between categories. He said the code section at issue lists positions that are exempted as nonclassified and that SB 1056 simply adds DOPL attorneys to that list.
Committee members had no substantive amendments. Senator Guthrie moved to forward the bill with a due-pass recommendation and Senator Ruckde seconded the motion. The committee recorded a voice vote and the chair announced that the motion carried: "Motion carries and Senate Bill 1056 will be sent to the floor of the Senate with a due pass recommendation." No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
The bill is procedural and aims to align DOPL attorneys’ classification with other state legal professionals; committee testimony did not discuss budgetary impacts or changes to substantive legal authorities. The measure will proceed to the full Senate for further consideration.
