RULE APPROVAL – HOUSE RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE – States findings of the House of Representatives and provides that all temporary and pending rules of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources have been reviewed and approved by the House Resources and Conservation Committee, with exceptions.

68th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session (2026)

Idaho House approves all pending administrative rules from five state agencies retroactively, with unspecified exceptions, consolidating regulatory review authority.

Rules Suspended: Ayes 68 Nays 1 Abs/Excd 1, read in full as required – ADOPTED - 68-2-0AYES – Alfieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Haws, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Rubel, Sauter, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wheeler, Wisniewski, Mr. SpeakerNAYS – Barbieri, GarnerAbsent – NoneFloor Sponsor - MendiveTitle apvd - Filed in Office of the Chief Clerk

#fishandgame #lands #parksandrecreation #rules #water

Legislative bill overview

HR 33 grants retroactive approval from the Idaho House Resources and Conservation Committee to all temporary and pending administrative rules from five state agencies: Fish and Game, Lands, Occupational and Professional Licenses, Parks and Recreation, and Water Resources. The bill includes unspecified exceptions to this blanket approval.

Why is this important

Administrative rules—created by executive agencies rather than the legislature—can significantly affect land use, environmental management, professional licensing, and water policy. This bill effectively gives legislative oversight retroactively to rules that may have already been implemented without full House review, raising questions about legislative authority and regulatory accountability.

Potential points of contention

Lack of transparency: The bill references "exceptions" but does not specify which rules are excluded, making it unclear what actually receives approval and what doesn't

Retroactive authority: Approving rules after implementation may circumvent the normal rulemaking process that typically includes public notice and comment periods

Scope and accountability: Granting blanket approval to multiple agencies without itemized review could reduce meaningful legislative oversight of specific regulatory decisions