Rating: –1

Bill Summary:
H0026 creates a new Idaho ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) account program to assist individuals with disabilities in saving for qualified expenses without impacting eligibility for means-tested benefits like Medicaid or SSI. The bill authorizes the state treasurer to join a national consortium to offer these accounts and establishes an ABLE Account Advisory Council to oversee outreach, education, and program development. The council includes multiple gubernatorial appointees and state officials and is required to meet quarterly and submit annual reports to the Legislature. The bill also mandates technical assistance and financial literacy efforts and includes an emergency clause, taking effect July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:
While the goals of financial independence and support for people with disabilities are commendable, this bill expands government involvement in personal financial planning by creating a new state-managed savings program. It establishes a permanent advisory council, adds administrative burden to the treasurer’s office, and sets up a soft appropriation pathway for ongoing outreach and technical assistance—without defining fiscal limits or including a sunset clause. The Idaho Republican Party Platform emphasizes limited government, free-market solutions, and restraint in creating new programs and agencies. By formalizing a new bureaucratic structure, H0026 runs counter to those principles and warrants a negative rating.