APPROPRIATIONS – OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE – Relates to the appropriation to the Office of the Secretary of State for fiscal year 2027.

68th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session (2026)

Idaho's FY2027 appropriations bill for the Secretary of State failed to pass, leaving the agency's budget authority unresolved amid 43-27 legislative opposition.

Rules Suspended: Ayes 66 Nays 0 Abs/Excd 4, read in full as required – FAILED - 27-43-0AYES – Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Egbert, Ehardt, Erickson, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Haws, Healey, Manwaring, McCann, Mickelsen, Nelsen, Petzke, Raymond, Rubel, Sauter, Shirts, Skaug(Chadwick), VeileNAYS – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Ehlers, Fuhriman, Furniss, Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Marmon, Mathias, Mendive, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Palmer, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Weber, Wheeler, Wisniewski, Mr. SpeakerAbsent – NoneFloor Sponsor - PetzkeFiled in Office of the Chief Clerk

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Legislative bill overview

H 909 is an appropriations bill allocating fiscal year 2027 funding to Idaho's Office of the Secretary of State. The bill was introduced in March 2026 but failed to advance past its third reading procedural vote, with the legislature unable to muster the required support to suspend rules and proceed.

Why is this important

Appropriations bills directly determine how much money government agencies receive to operate. The Secretary of State's office handles critical functions including elections administration, business licensing, and records management. The failure of this bill creates uncertainty about the agency's FY2027 budget and operational capacity.

Potential points of contention

Funding level dispute – The vote breakdown (27 ayes, 43 nays) suggests significant disagreement over either the amount of appropriation or priorities within the Secretary of State's budget

Elections administration concerns – Given rising national focus on election integrity and administration, disagreement may center on funding for voting systems, election security, or staffing

Partisan or regional differences – The voting pattern may reflect broader legislative divisions over government spending priorities or the specific role/scope of the Secretary of State's office