Representative from District 6 seeks to codify campaign-account segregation; House sends bill to general orders

The Idaho House on Feb. 19 debated House Bill 5 98, a measure introduced on the floor by the representative identified as the sponsor from District 6 that would require all campaign contributions and any personal loans to a candidate’s campaign to be deposited into a campaign account established exclusively for that campaign and prohibit commingling with a candidate’s personal accounts.

The sponsor said the bill has two goals: to codify the prohibition on commingling campaign and personal funds and to require candidates who loan money to their campaign to certify that the loan has been deposited into a campaign account within seven days. “We don’t want to have an account that is commingling those funds,” the sponsor said, adding the requirement is intended to make campaign reporting more transparent and to prevent fraudulent claims about available campaign balances.

Supporters repeated that transparency is the objective. A backer said the public demands clarity about where campaign funds are held and that the proposal would help prevent misleading statements about campaign resources. “The kind of discussion about whether there’s a seven day limit… if you’re giving yourself a campaign loan, it’s largely going to be above $1,000 anyway and asked to report within 48 hours,” another member said in support.

Opponents focused on the bill’s wording and administrative consequences. One lawmaker argued the phrase “shall be deposited” could be read literally and create impractical outcomes for small or in‑kind expenditures: “If I spend $5 of my own money to buy a trinket for a campaign, I have not deposited into my account,” that member said, arguing the language as written might not match the bill’s purported intent. Others raised privacy concerns about publishing banking details and the potential burden of additional reporting steps for small campaigns.

The sponsor responded that the Secretary of State’s office would prepare a certification form and that some bank details could remain private on the Secretary of State’s side; the sponsor said the seven‑day certification window was intended as a reasonable grace period to allow transfers to clear rather than an immediate requirement.

Because members were split on whether the bill’s current text achieved its objectives, the sponsor asked to send HB 5 98 to general orders to clarify language and work with legislative services. After a motion and a recorded machine vote, the House voted to place House Bill 5 98 on general orders by a recorded tally the Clerk announced as 55 ayes, 10 nays and 5 absent and excused.

Next steps: HB 5 98 will be returned to the calendar (general orders) for rework and further consideration, where the sponsor indicated she will seek to refine language with colleagues and legislative drafting staff.