Senate committee adopts POST rule docket to restore intended punctuation and clarify disqualifiers

The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to adopt rule docket 11-1001-2401, a rule from the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) that corrects a punctuation error in previously published rule language.

Brad Johnson, division administrator for POST, told the committee the action adopts as permanent the temporary rule the POST council had intended. He said the only substantive change is the insertion of two commas that were mistakenly omitted in the legislative copy, which altered the meaning. Johnson explained that the commas are necessary so that the rule adds two disqualifying conditions — illegal purchase or illegal possession — without removing simple marijuana use as a disqualifier. He told the committee, in part, that “the lack of those two commas significantly changed that section, and was not what was intended.”

Committee members asked whether the missing commas had caused issues in the field. Johnson said the omission was recognized early, and the council initially pursued an administrative fix before using a temporary rule published in the Idaho Administrative Bulletin (July 3, 2024) to correct the language; permanent adoption is the final step. Senator Wintrow moved to accept the rule docket; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The vice chair announced the docket number and POST’s request for support.

Why it matters: The change restores the originally intended meaning of the POST rule and clarifies the standards that can disqualify applicants for peace-officer certification. Committee members were briefed that the amendment was procedural in nature but substantively important to maintain the council’s intended standards.

The committee recorded the motion as carried by voice vote; no roll-call tally was provided in the transcript.