Idaho committee declines to advance bill that would record students’ immigration status after close votes

Representative Steve Tanner (R-District 13) introduced RS 32-405 to the House Education Committee, a proposal that would add a new chapter to Idaho’s education code requiring any school or district that receives state funds to record students’ immigration status and nationality and to aggregate and make that information public.

The bill’s sponsor said the measure would define elementary and secondary schools, accredited higher‑education institutions and five immigration‑status categories aligned with the Immigration and Nationality Act, and would require schools to record status information at enrollment. "No, that's not the intention," Tanner said when asked whether the bill aimed to deny services to undocumented students, adding the bill was intended to measure what the sponsor described as new burdens on public instruction.

Committee members pressed Tanner on practical and legal questions. Representative Mathias asked how the fiscal note concluded there would be no new cost to collect immigration status for “probably just over 400,000” students. Tanner responded that he expected existing school staff would handle intake and…