Our Work in Idaho

The 2026 legislative session will be remembered for three things: anti-transgender policies, anti-immigrant policies, and serious budget shortfalls that resulted in $352 million in cuts for 2026. In the end, we lobbied or provided legislative analysis on more than 120 bills, a level of advocacy that was only possible with the support of our community. Thanks to you, we defeated the following five bills:

Ban on Anti-Discrimination Protections for 2SLGBTQ+ Idahoans(HB 557)

This bill would have blocked cities and counties from having their own anti-discrimination laws. It targeted the two counties and 12 cities that have passed anti-discrimination protections for 2SLGBTQ+ people.

Ban on Gender & Sexuality Education (HB 516)

This bill would have banned all instruction on gender and sexuality from kindergarten through 12th grade. Current law allows instruction that is age appropriate.

Anti-Trans Bathroom Bounty Bill (HB 607)

This bill would have required government buildings and places of public accommodation to take “reasonable steps” to prevent transgender people from using restrooms and changing facilities that align with their gender identity. Those who encounter transgender people in restrooms would have been able to sue the government entity or business for $10,000.

Penalties for Hiring Undocumented Workers (HB 584)

This bill would have blocked all Idaho employers from hiring undocumented workers. Employers would have had to use the federal E-Verify system to check employees’ immigration status, and those who didn’t comply could have lost their business. Such a policy would have divided families and crippled Idaho’s economy.

Deterring Undocumented People from Accessing Medical Care (HB 592)

This bill would have required patients to disclose their immigration status when visiting hospitals that accept Medicaid. Virtually every hospital in the U.S. accepts Medicaid. If enacted, this bill would discourage people from getting care when they need it most, ultimately resulting in worse health outcomes and higher expenses for hospitals and the state.

In 2025, we were unfortunately working with an even smaller progressive legislative minority. Still, we were able to defeat the three dangerous bills listed below. Each one died in the Senate State Affairs Committee, which served as a crucial check on extremism.

Empowering Violent Mobs (SB 1009)

This bill would have repealed Idaho’s long-standing ban on private, armed, organized militias. The ban was passed in 1927 as part of the movement to establish “anti-lynching” laws. Such laws prevent armed civilians from carrying out vigilante justice against immigrants of color.

Funding Unregulated Pregnancy Centers (SB 1077)

This bill would have pushed $1 million annually to unregulated pregnancy centers. It also would have excused those centers from significant accountability and imposed requirements that made it even more difficult to get abortion health care in Idaho.

Overturning Marriage Equality (HJM 001)

This memorial would have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. Such a ruling would destabilize families, create legal chaos, and undermine everyone’s rights to equal protection. Though the memorial would not have carried the force of law, it would have further normalized discrimination against 2SLGBTQ+ people.

During the 2024 legislative session, we saw a 20% increase in the number of bills and rules compared to the previous record in 2021. These bills had a common theme: using state government to make Idaho hostile for anyone who could challenge oppressive policies. Nontheless, we succeeded in passing the key bill below:

Contraception Expansion (Senate Bill 1234)

This bill expands access to oral birth control prescriptions from three to six months. Hailed as a victory for people who want to manage their own reproductive health, this new law also advances economic justice by giving people greater ability to decide whether and when to raise a child. Perhaps most importantly, this is the first proactive reproductive rights bill to succeed in recent memory, which is an enormous symbolic win in Idaho.