Committee sends H 556 on county jail per diem to House floor after law‑enforcement testimony

The House Judiciary, Rules & Administration Committee voted to send H 556 to the House floor with a DO PASS recommendation after receiving testimony from county and law‑enforcement officials. Chairman Skaug presented the bill; Rep. Skaug was recorded as the bill’s floor sponsor.

Witnesses supporting H 556 included Rod Beck (identified as Ada County Commissioner), Kelli Brassfield of the Idaho Association of Counties, Sheriff Kieran Donahue, Sheriff Matt Clifford and Randy Rieken. Committee members pressed staff and testifiers on several operational and fiscal questions, including missed inmate programming because of county jail incarceration, whether jails and prisons share any mutual financial benefits, current bed‑space shortages, the cost of daily prisoner housing in out‑of‑state facilities, administrative fees tied to transfers, the impact of recent budget reductions, sources of funding for per diem obligations and which party would be responsible for inmate costs under the bill’s terms.

A substitute motion by Rep. Ehardt to hold H 556 in committee until Feb. 25, 2026 failed on a roll‑call vote, 5 AYE, 8 NAY, 3 Absent/Excused (AYE: Reps. Scott, Ehardt, Garner, Hawkins, Gannon; NAY: Reps. Skaug, Alfieri, Erickson, Handy, Hill, Pohanka, Shirts, Mathias; Absent/Excused: Reps. Hostetler, Stone, Rubel). The original motion to report the bill out with a DO PASS recommendation carried on a roll call of 13 AYE, 0 NAY, 3 Absent/Excused. Rep. Skaug will carry H 556 on the House floor.

The committee’s questions and the list of supporting witnesses indicate that the primary concerns for members were fiscal exposure for counties and operational impacts of inmate housing decisions. The committee did not adopt amendments during the hearing; the bill was reported to the floor for further consideration.