Rating: –1

Bill Summary:

Senate Bill 1191 provides an additional $529,300 in funding to the Office of Energy and Mineral Resources (OEMR) for fiscal year 2026, including $481,000 from the General Fund, $37,000 from the Indirect Cost Recovery Fund, and $11,300 from the Miscellaneous Revenue Fund. It also reduces $48,300 in prior appropriations from the Renewable Energy Resources Fund and the Petroleum Price Violation Fund. The bill authorizes the addition of one full-time equivalent (FTE) position and requires OEMR to submit a report to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on the use of funds by the Strategic Permitting, Efficiency, and Economic Development (SPEED) Council by December 1, 2025. The bill includes standard legislative limitations and an emergency clause, effective July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:
S1191 expands funding and personnel for a state agency that is increasingly aligned with centralized energy planning and regulatory policy—contradicting the Idaho Republican Party Platform’s commitment to limited government and market-driven energy solutions. By allocating nearly half a million dollars from the General Fund and expanding the role of the SPEED Council without structural reforms, performance metrics, or privatization requirements, the bill increases government involvement in sectors the platform says should be led by private enterprise. It further entrenches bureaucracy in the name of “efficiency” without delivering accountable or conservative results. For these reasons, the bill receives a negative rating.