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Primary season is officially underway, with the filing window for candidates closing at the end of business Friday. We'll have more with Secretary of State Phil McGrane next week.

This week on Idaho Reports...

Attorney General Raúl Labrador is concerned that proposed budget cuts would devastate his office’s ability to investigate child sexual abuse. He appeared before the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, detailing the impacts a proposed 4% and 5% cut would have on his staff – specifically the Internet Crimes Against Children unit, or ICAC.

The Attorney General sat down with Logan Finney after the hearing to discuss the issue.

"You can't look at anything that we're doing in the Office of Attorney General that is not the proper role of government," Labrador said. "What we're doing is exactly what the government is required to do — what the Legislature has asked us to do. We haven't added new things that are superfluous. We're actually just saving kids, saving families, helping consumers, and litigating the cases. These are all the things that are the proper role of government."

Democratic lawmakers have been sounding the alarm with concerns about the budget committee’s additional across-the-board reductions. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel and Assistant Minority Leader Steve Berch joined Logan Finney to share their thoughts.

"We were headed for trouble this session when we walked in. In fact, last fall we had a sneak preview, when we learned that we were $555 million short of being able to cover even the basic maintenance budgets to keep our agencies operating," Rubel said. "We have just been sitting here immensely frustrated, watching cuts to everything we hold dear."

Speaker of the House Mike Moyle, on the other hand, said it's too early to judge how the budget bills — recissions, maintenance, enhancements, and all — will fare on the chamber floor.

"You've got a split down there, right? You've got a bunch that want more cuts. You've got a bunch that want to put more back in. You've got a real, you know, head knocking going on," Moyle said. "I think some of the tension will go away when we see what's put back in those budgets... As those add-ons come back in, and people see where they're filling in the holes, I think it will alleviate some of the concerns — I hope, anyway."

The 2026 Reduction Act was printed last week as Senate Bill 1331, implementing the Governor's 3% general fund holdbacks with JFAC's additional 1% cut for this budget year.

The legislature's budget process can be arcane and hard to follow, even for veteran stakeholders. Idaho Reports will update this dashboard daily during the session.

Proposed budget cuts are poised to hit every state agency differently – but lawmakers have had that information available the entire time. What funds will they decide to restore, and as the budget bills slowly make their way to the chamber floors, what will get left on the table?

Holding Harmless | Feb. 27, 2026

• BUILDING CODE: All but two members of the House Business Committee rejected a proposal last week to adopt a new state building code, despite support from both local government building inspection officials and home builders. [🔗 BoiseDev]

• LOCAL EDUCATION CUTS: Even though K-12 is exempt from statewide cuts, public schools won’t see an ongoing increase in discretionary funding for the second consecutive school year under JFAC’s proposal. Schools typically use those state dollars for operating costs like utilities, maintenance, supplies and other expenses affected by inflation. They also use it to supplement employee pay and benefits when state funding falls short of staffing needs. [🔗 Idaho Education News]

• MEDICAID PROGRAM CUTS: A draft bill to reinstate Healthy Connections, an emergency room diversion program some lawmakers say the Legislature accidentally cut, is stalling. The sponsor says members of the budget committee have told him there’s just no way to fund it right now. [🔗 Idaho Capital Sun]

• RURAL HOSPITALS: Small hospitals across the Idaho state line are feeling an influx of people coming to Washington who, under state law there, can receive free health care. The Washington Legislature considered a bill that would have limited nonemergency charity care to residents of the state. [🔗 Spokesman-Review]

• AMBULANCE ATTACK: Federal prosecutors are calling a Boise woman’s alleged decision to steal an ambulance and crash it into a Meridian building that is leasing office space to federal immigration officials a “brazen, dangerous, unprovoked, premeditated attack,” according to court records. [🔗 Idaho Statesman]

• DHS OFFICE VANDALIZED: Boise Police are reporting a case of vandalism at a U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration & Customs Enforcement office. Police say that they found broken windows and spray paint at the building, and that the office was not occupied at the time of the vandalism. [🔗 KTVB]



• E-VERIFY HEARING: Public testimony made has sparked criticism over how lawmakers handled the incident. During a hearing Monday afternoon before the House Business Committee, provocateur David Pettinger approached the podium wearing an offensive costume and pretending not to speak English. [🔗 KTVB]

• I.C.E. HEARING: The House Local Government Committee voted Thursday to approve a bill mandating all local law enforcement agencies apply to enter into agreements with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite opposition from law enforcement like the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association. [🔗 Idaho Capital Sun]

• ADA COUNTY: A fundraiser with Donald Trump Jr. held by the Idaho Majority Club political action committee drew about 50 protesters on Monday. Boise police arrested one of the protesters, a woman who held a bullhorn with the siren function turned on toward a person who was working at the venue. [🔗 Idaho Statesman]

• BANNOCK COUNTY: Over 100 concerned citizens gathered at Idaho State University over the weekend to hear from a variety of experts on increased ICE activity across the country and immigration rhetoric locally. [🔗 East Idaho News]

• BONNER COUNTY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the dam that controls Lake Pend Oreille. A recent University of Idaho study found the region’s economy lost around $43 million in activity last year because of inconsistent levels and a shorter season than other area lakes. [🔗 Bonner County Daily Bee]

• KOOTENAI COUNTY: When hundreds gather Saturday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort for the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee’s Lincoln Day dinner, some precinct committeemen won’t be there. The group stands divided on the keynote speaker, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican who has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. [🔗 Coeur d'Alene Press]

• TWIN FALLS COUNTY: A recently-fired substitute teacher who founded a local Moms for Liberty chapter has challenged more than 95 books in the school district’s collection. The slew of challenges has led to a significant time commitment from dozens of parents, teachers, and staff to review them. [🔗 Idaho Education News]

• VALLEY COUNTY: The McCall City Council says plans to build more than 700 homes to the city's southwest are not detailed enough for Valley County to make a decision. The letter outlining the city’s position referred to Red Ridge Village as a “new city” that would become the third largest in the county. [🔗 Valley Lookout]

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