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S 1044

Prohibits a person convicted of violating "Buster's Law" from owning or possessing a companion animal

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jake Ashby and 4 co-sponsors

Requires Idaho public schools to teach cursive from grade 3 and ensure grade 5 proficiency; sets benchmarks, resources, and extra instruction for non-proficients, effective July 1, 2025.

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Bill Summary · S 1044

Summary — S 1044 (Idaho) — Cursive Handwriting Proficiency Requirement

Note on sources: The materials provided contain conflicting metadata (an initial title about "Buster’s Law," sponsors from other jurisdictions, and mixed docket items). The bill text and fiscal note in the packet, however, are from the Idaho Legislature (Sixty‑eighth Legislature, First Regular Session, 2025) and establish a statewide cursive‑handwriting proficiency requirement. This summary describes that Idaho bill (Senate Bill No. 1044, Education Committee).

Main purpose

Require Idaho public school students to achieve legible cursive handwriting proficiency by the end of grade 5 and to ensure statewide, consistent instruction and assessment of cursive beginning in grade 3.

Key provisions

  • Adds Section 33‑1638 to Idaho Code (Chapter 16, Title 33).
  • Defines “cursive handwriting proficiency” as the student’s ability to write legibly in cursive.
  • Requires the State Board of Education to require cursive instruction beginning by grade 3.
  • Directs the State Department of Education to:
    • Set benchmarks for cursive proficiency;
    • Provide guidelines and assessment examples; and
    • Share resources to assist teachers with instruction.
  • Mandates that all Idaho public schools comply by the start of the 2025–2026 school year.
  • Requires that students who do not meet proficiency by the end of grade 5 receive additional instruction until proficiency is demonstrated.
  • Emergency clause: the act is declared an emergency and takes full effect on July 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Primary: Idaho public elementary students (grades 3–5), especially those in grades 3–5 who must receive instruction and demonstrate proficiency.
  • Secondary: public school teachers (language arts/elementary), local school districts, State Board of Education, and State Department of Education (for benchmarks, guidance, and resource distribution).

Fiscal and implementation notes

  • Fiscal note states negligible fiscal impact: existing curricula already include handwriting, and minor costs (benchmark/guideline development, resources) can be absorbed by the State Department of Education’s current budget. No increased general‑fund or local government expenditures are projected.
  • Compliance deadline: start of the 2025–2026 school year; statutory effective date July 1, 2025.

Implementation/Enforcement

  • The bill requires benchmarks, guidance, and additional instruction for non‑proficient students but does not specify disciplinary sanctions or funding mechanisms beyond the Department’s responsibilities; enforcement would rely on State Board rules and local implementation.

If you want, I can: (1) extract the exact statutory language for inclusion in a policy brief, (2) draft a one‑page memo for school administrators on implementation steps, or (3) compare this bill to similar statutes in other states.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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