Rating: –1

Bill Summary:

Senate Bill 1177 appropriates $1,268,900 in new funding to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) for fiscal year 2026. The funds are allocated across three program areas: $1,138,100 to Building Construction and Real Estate, $91,600 to Occupational Licenses, and $39,200 to Health Professions. The money is drawn from the State Regulatory Fund, Industrial Safety Fund, and Logging Fund and supports personnel costs, operating expenditures, and capital outlay. The bill also requires quarterly and annual financial reports for each board and commission under DOPL. If a board’s fund balance exceeds 150% of its five-year rolling expenditure average, the division must submit a plan to reduce the surplus. If a balance falls below 30%, a solvency plan is required. The bill includes an emergency clause and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:
S1177 increases funding for a state regulatory agency that enforces occupational licensing, a system that the Idaho Republican Party Platform has identified as burdensome and often unnecessary. While the bill includes oversight provisions to monitor and reduce excessive fund balances, it does not introduce any deregulatory reforms or reductions in licensure scope. Instead, it further entrenches a bureaucratic licensing structure that restricts market access and imposes government control over private-sector credentials. By expanding funding for a regulatory entity without advancing freedom or efficiency, this bill contradicts platform principles and earns a negative rating.