Jim Guthrie — The chair is referenced in the motion to approve the minutes and in procedural remarks.
Jim Guthrie — The chair is referenced again when the committee is told a motion is needed to hold House Joint Memorial 19 subject to the call of the chair.
Jim Guthrie — The chair is referenced in the motion to hold House Joint Memorial 19 subject to the call of the chair.
Jim Guthrie — The chair is referenced in the request for a motion.
Jim Guthrie — The chairman is referenced as the recipient of a message from the mayor of Ammon.
Jim Guthrie — The chair is addressed in the question to the mayor.
Jim Guthrie — Addressed as Mr. Chairman in the exchange.
Jim Guthrie — Representative Crane participates in a continuous exchange about the scope and enforcement of his housing bill. He initially says he is unsure how a particular issue would apply and offers to seek a legal opinion, then clarifies that the bill is intended to prioritize Idaho homes for Idahoans and prevent foreign money, foreign corporations, REITs, and SEC-related companies from buying single-family homes. In response to follow-up questions, he confirms that the bill is aimed at stopping the types of purchases described, points to a specific enforcement provision in subsection 8 on page 2, and states he is not amenable to adding language to protect H-1B workers. He reiterates that the bill is meant to address housing shortages and competition from national conglomerates buying homes in Idaho.
Mark Dahlquist — Mark Dahlquist, the mayor of Pocatello, testifies in support of House Bill 725 by describing rapidly rising and unpredictable city insurance costs, including annual increases of 7% to 10% and a projected 25% increase. He explains that occasional large claims make costs harder to predict and argues that spreading risk through the bill would help stabilize expenses. In response to questions, he says he understands the bill to impose no tax burden on cities or taxpayers, since cities would still pay the insurance costs directly, and he notes that the opt-in would apply to the city as a whole rather than to individual employees.
James Ruchti — James Ruchti followed up to clarify the adverse selection concern, questioning whether the bill would mainly attract higher-risk cities into the state plan and therefore raise the state's overall cost level.
James Ruchti — Representative Boyle joked about the home-buying issue in his area, saying the biggest problem was 'cows'—a humorous reference to California, Oregon, and Washington—and the exchange continued with a playful remark about introducing 'cow language' into the RS.
Mayor of the City of Pocatello — The Mayor of the City of Pocatello explained that the city does not consider itself a high-risk insurance client overall, though year-to-year unpredictability remains a concern. He added that the city works through a broker to shop for insurance annually, exercises due diligence, and prioritizes selecting the lowest-price carrier.
Chase Mills — Chase Mills, a captain with the Idaho Falls Fire Department, testified in support of the bill. He explained that recruitment and retention are major challenges for fire departments and that benefits packages—especially insurance and retirement—are key draws for attracting firefighters. He noted that insurance costs have risen over his 12 years with the department and that the city has lost firefighters to other states offering better benefits and wages. He concluded that the bill could help Idaho Falls and its fire department save money, improve recruitment and retention, and better serve public safety and constituents.
Mayor Burton Shaw — Mayor Burton Shaw testified in support of House Bill 725 and answered questions about municipal insurance pools. He confirmed that pool rates are based on claims experience, explained that the city is rated as a whole rather than individually, and noted that large claims affect the entire group. He also said premiums do not immediately drop when claims improve, but the city's rating becomes more competitive over time.
Mayor of the City of Idaho Falls — The Mayor of Idaho Falls thanked the committee and testified in support of the bill, arguing that it would make cities more competitive and save taxpayer money. He explained that Idaho Falls is prepared to absorb the extra costs and has struggled to become self-insured, but that joining a larger pool would help stabilize insurance rates, which fluctuate from year to year. He emphasized that the bill would not hurt the state general fund, could reduce local taxpayer costs, and would also help cities with recruitment and retention by making insurance costs more predictable.
Faith Knowlton — Faith Knowlton, the administrator of group insurance in the Department of Administration, explained that Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and similar cities are not necessarily considered high risk, but small groups can be more affected by a few large claims than the state plan. She said the state’s larger pool can absorb such claims more easily, and that any new group seeking to join the plan undergoes an actuarial review to ensure it is financially sound and will not negatively affect the plan. She added that the state already has similar exposures and that law enforcement and firefighter populations often have better claims experience than the general population, so they could potentially be an advantage to the plan.
Faith Knowlton / Ms. Dalton — Faith Knowlton / Ms. Dalton explained that the cities, not the state, would be responsible for paying 100% of the plan’s premiums and all associated administrative costs, including staff and employee expenses. She emphasized that because cities are covering these costs, the state general fund should not be needed to subsidize the plan.
Brandon Shippy — Introduced RS 33618 and explained that it would prohibit certain foreign persons and entities from purchasing single-family homes in Idaho.
Brandon Shippy — Explains that the bill addresses real estate investment trusts whose shareholders are restricted persons under the subsection.
Brandon Shippy — Clarifies that the bill is specifically about single-family homes and foreign-owned companies.
Brandon Shippy — Is being questioned about the bill's definition of foreign adversary.
Brandon Shippy — Explains that his bill language ends at line 37 and that later language is existing statute.
Brandon Shippy — Asks Representative Church to rephrase the question because he does not understand it.
Brandon Shippy — Declines to comment, then responds to a question about a mine-related housing situation in Hawaii County.
Brandon Shippy — Says a Canadian government partnership with Idaho would be fine, and distinguishes that from foreign governments buying up homes.
Brandon Shippy — Responds by asking whether the hypothetical individuals would have U.S. citizenship.
Brandon Shippy — Says he is unsure how the athlete scenario would apply and offers to seek a legal opinion.
Brandon Shippy — Said the bill is overly broad and suggested it should instead focus on adversarial countries.
Mark Harris — Representative Mickelson asks for clarification on the bill’s scope, first questioning whether it is intended to prevent REITs from owning property in Idaho, and then asking whether it also affects foreign corporations’ ownership of other types of property, such as mining interests, or is limited to housing.
Mark Harris — Members questioned the bill’s treatment of home purchases by non-citizens and Americans buying property abroad, asking whether foreign-born people would be barred from buying homes in Idaho. Follow-up questions focused on how the bill would be enforced and whether title companies, real estate agents, or banks would need to verify a buyer’s legal resident status and state residency before a purchase.
Lori Hartog — Representative Church questions the bill’s definition of 'foreign adversary' and how it would operate over time, especially if a country is later added to the list. He raises concerns that people with otherwise qualifying property or status could be forced to divest or be left in limbo if their country of origin becomes a foreign adversary, including potential impacts on single-family homes and related rights.
Lori Hartog — Representative Church followed up on concerns about temporary workers and athletes, then expanded the question to H-1B visa workers connected to Micron and INL. He asked about the implications of bringing in temporary workers who are not residents or U.S. citizens, including whether they could buy homes and remain in the area.