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Votes at a glance: key measures the Idaho Senate passed March 4, 2025
Summary
A roundup of bills the Idaho Senate passed on March 4, 2025, including appropriations, regulatory and statutory changes, and education and labor measures. Vote tallies and brief descriptions are listed for each final action taken on the floor.
BOISE, Idaho — During the March 4 floor session the Idaho Senate took final action on a series of bills. Below are the bills that received final votes on the floor that day, with brief descriptions and the Senate’s recorded votes or tallies as announced in the chamber.
Votes at a glance
- Senate Bill 11-31 — Appropriation to Department of Insurance (additional dedicated funds; includes 2 FTE and replacement items). Vote: 23 in favor, 11 opposed, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Hart.)
- Senate Bill 11-26 — Revisions to property law covering self-storage; updates notification and disposal procedures to reflect online practices. Vote: 27 in favor, 7 opposed, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Woodward.)
- Senate Bill 11-16 — Provision transferring or clarifying funding mechanism for the Office of Administrative Hearings so it charges agencies it serves (fee-funded). Vote: 34 in favor, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Groh.)
- House Bill 79 — Raises the annual tuition cap for community colleges (statutory cap change and annual raise limit). Vote: 26 in favor, 9 opposed. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Lantz.)
- House Bill 8 — Routine code cleanup for the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (removes obsolete sections). Vote: recorded on the previously used roll call; announced as carried with one absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Adams.)
- House Bill 34 — Allows state agencies streamlined contracts with in-state universities (reduces procurement steps when contracting with Idaho universities). Vote: 34 in favor, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Cook.)
- House Bill 53 — Updates workforce and unemployment-fraud statutes: strengthens penalties for repeated UI fraud, distinguishes misdemeanor vs. felony thresholds and adds identity-theft provisions related to UI claims. Vote: 34 in favor, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Guthrie.)
- House Bill 54 — Moves numerous Unemployment Insurance rules into statute for clarity and federal conformity; no change to benefit eligibility. Vote: 34 in favor, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Guthrie.)
- House Bill 31 — Clarifies Medicaid as payer of last resort and requires third parties that require prior authorization to accept the state’s approval for covered items/services. Vote: 34 in favor, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Blaylock.)
- House Bill 172 — Clarifies open-meeting law practices for multiple agenda items/consent agendas to improve transparency. Vote: 34 in favor, 1 absent. Outcome: Passed. (Floor sponsor: Senator Taves.)
Notes and next steps: Several of the bills that passed are appropriations or technical/statutory changes that will be transmitted to the House or, where the bill originated in the House, returned to that chamber. Bills that passed with Senate amendments will go back to the House for concurrence. The Senate also reported out and referred many bills to committees for further action earlier in the day.
