Bruce Skaug — Representative Skog is thanked for allowing the speaker to bounce in front of him; the transcript likely means Representative Skaug.
Bruce Skaug — Joked about tax policy and a new representative misunderstanding 'rev and tax' as 'revolution and tax.'
Bruce Skaug — Said national politics have become ugly and troubling.
Bruce Skaug — Said Idaho faces dissension, budget concerns, and water-level concerns similar to the nation.
Bruce Skaug — Introduced a reading from the resolution about fasting and prayer, citing budget and water concerns.
Bruce Skaug — Read historical language supporting days of fasting, humiliation, and prayer.
Bruce Skaug — Explained the resolution's call for fasting and prayer in Idaho and read its language about March 1st, 2026.
Bruce Skaug — Continued reading the resolution language about fasting, prayer, and humble supplication.
Bruce Skaug — Continued reading the resolution, emphasizing peaceful resolutions, moisture, and wisdom for leaders.
Bruce Skaug — Finished presenting the resolution and invited questions.
Bruce Skaug — Was identified as the sponsor for House Bill 501.
Bruce Skaug — Presented House Bill 501 and explained it would require paid signature gatherers to wear badges identifying who pays them.
Bruce Skaug — Explained the bill and requested a due pass recommendation.
Bruce Skaug — His bill, House Bill 501, is moved forward with a due pass recommendation.
Shawn Dygert — Representative Dygert is recognized to ask a question.
Shawn Dygert — Representative Dygert asks why the bill does not set a dollar threshold for reporting self-loans.
Shawn Dygert — Representative Dygert makes the motion to introduce RS 33374.
Shawn Dygert — Had already made the motion to move House Bill 501.
Heather Scott — Representative Scott makes the motion to send HB 598 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation.
Heather Scott — Introduced RS 33270 and said it relates to the state budget.
Jaron Crane — Representative Crane participated in the discussion on the residency requirement, asking whether the 120-day standard meant a person only needed to be in the district 120 days per year. He then stated his support for the motion and raised a follow-up concern about candidates who own multiple properties, asking how it could be verified that they are actually staying in a home within their district rather than another property, including one in Boise.
Jaron Crane — Representative Skog is referenced, but the transcript likely means Representative Skaug; the text is uncertain.
Jaron Crane — Supported the motion and thanked Representative Monks for bringing the resolution forward.
Jaron Crane — Was thanked for his comments.
Jaron Crane — Was thanked for bringing the resolution forward.
Jaron Crane — Was thanked for his support and comments.
Jaron Crane — Explained that the idea was not his own and said the Continental Congress did something similar in 1775.
Jaron Crane — Explained why fasting is included and said the idea has broad religious precedent.
Jaron Crane — Said he would welcome co-sponsors and planned to circulate a sign-up list.
Jaron Crane — Was praised for bringing the resolution forward.
Jaron Crane — His resolution was discussed and praised.
Jaron Crane — Said he had heard concerns from constituents and moved to send House Bill 501 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
James Ruchti — Representative Raibold explained that the bill is meant to clarify a minimum physical-presence requirement in a district before someone runs for office, using the 120-day standard to avoid ambiguity about how much time must be spent there. He added that candidate qualifications, including residency or location, can already be challenged through the Secretary of State, and under this proposal a complaint could be filed with credible evidence, prompting the Secretary of State’s office to investigate the residency issue.
James Ruchti — Representative Church was part of a brief exchange about the scope of the proposal. He raised concern about whether travel-related costs, such as airport travel or plane tickets, would be barred. Representative Scott clarified that the proposal was focused on membership fees and dues for organizations, not travel expenses. Church then said he had no further questions, and the discussion later referenced his travel reimbursement as an example in the same context.
James Ruchti — Representative Church argued that JFAC should be responsible for addressing the issue and said he would like legislation requiring agencies to perform cost-benefit analysis before spending money. He then questioned whether the bill includes any penalty for violations, referencing a prior bill from the previous year.
James Ruchti — Will be in charge of rules review on Monday.
Brent Crane — Representative Vanderwada was welcomed back to House State Affairs, then asked to confirm and correct typos in the statement of purpose. He agreed that the grammatical errors should be corrected if the RS is introduced, and then formally introduced himself as Representative John Vanderrata from District 22 and presented RS 33106.
Brent Crane — Brent Crane is repeatedly addressed as Chairman/Mr. Chairman during a continuous committee exchange. The speaker discusses enforcement, government compliance, and a budget-related question period, then asks the chair for unanimous consent to move RS 3332 ahead of Representative Skog. The chair grants the request, and the speaker thanks him for allowing the item to proceed and for the opportunity to speak.
Representative John Banderrata — Introduced himself and described RS 3305 as dealing with discontinuance of telephone service.
Erin Bingham — Made the motion to introduce RS 33106.
Mark Harris — Identified as the sponsor of RS 33270, RS 33295, and House Bill 501.
Mark Harris — Representative Scott explained that the bill was designed to curb or better scrutinize taxpayer spending by agencies, while preserving exemptions for professional licensure, state employment, law enforcement information sharing, and necessary testing. He argued that the measure could save millions of dollars, especially by preventing public funds from going to nonprofits or other expenses that may not align with Idaho policy, and said agencies should review their own spending and self-regulate before the issue is made public. He also noted that the bill does not include penalties, emphasized a presumption that government should follow the law, and framed the proposal as a way to raise standards and rein in spending.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Explained that the proposal would add a restriction to the executive budget document so it would not contain logos, models, or slogans, except for the Great Seal of Idaho and the governor's official logo.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Continued explaining the purpose of the RS, emphasizing professionalism and avoiding campaign-style messaging in state documents.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Asked the committee to introduce RS 33270.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Joked that the committee's aye sounded unconvincing and suggested the RS might need to stay in the drawer.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Introduced RS 33295 and said it is intended to reduce state spending on membership fees and dues across branches of government.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Explained that the proposal is a large packet aimed at reducing spending on memberships, fees, and dues.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Said the state spends about $7 million on memberships, fees, and dues, not including travel expenses.
Stephanie Mickelsen — Argued that taxpayer dollars should not fund memberships in policy or lobbying organizations, especially when travel is also involved.