Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Agenda Feb 20th, 2026

Senate State Affairs Committee

Key Moments

  • Brandon Shippy — Noted as having an excused absence and traveling for family reasons.
  • Brandon Shippy — Likely the intended reference in 'Senator Ruttee' when asking for questions; uncertain transcription.
  • Brandon Shippy — Likely the intended reference in 'Senator Taves' is Ben Taves; this appears to be a transcription error and is not a listed member.
  • Brandon Shippy — The transcript says 'Senator Taves,' but this appears to refer to the bill sponsor/witness; identity is uncertain.
  • Kelly Anthon — No direct mention; transcript likely misheard a senator name as 'Nichols' in later sections, but this section specifically references Senator Nichols as the presenter.
  • Kelly Anthon — Likely the intended reference in 'Senator Berndtter' as the second on the motion.
  • Kelly Anthon — Senator Den Hartog is referenced as making the motion, but the transcript appears to misrecognize the name; the motion is for Senate Bill 1297 to do pass.
  • James Ruchti — No direct mention in this section.
  • James Ruchti — The speaker says 'you and I,' referring to a committee member in a general exchange about not always being able to tell whether a chatbot is AI or a person.
  • Ben Adams — Asked a question about where the RS would be routed and noted he was not on either committee it might go to.
  • Ben Adams — Asked what hours are currently required and whether veterinary students have a separate requirement.
  • Ben Adams — Followed up to ask whether veterinary students currently have any hour requirement.
  • Ben Adams — Moved to introduce RS 33432 and participated in the discussion.
  • Ben Adams — Introduced RS 33440 and noted it previously passed the Senate in 2024 with a veto-proof majority.
  • Ben Adams — Named as the second on the motion to send Senate Bill 1297 to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
  • Lori Hartog — Senator Den Hartog is referenced as the member asking about the bill and then raises a substantive question about how similar AI legislation is being handled across other states and nationally. The sponsor responds to her inquiry, keeping the discussion focused on comparative AI policy approaches.
  • Treg Bernt — Likely the intended reference in the garbled motion second from the prior line; not spoken here directly.
  • Elizabeth Kreiner — Elizabeth Kreiner testifies on behalf of Google in support of Senate Bill 1297, the Conversational AI Safety Act. She explains that Google has already implemented safety-by-design safeguards for Gemini, but believes legislation can establish a consistent responsibility floor across the industry. She characterizes the bill as thoughtful, effective, and risk-based, with codified guardrails that support broader AI safety.
  • Senator Taves — Offers closing remarks on the bill, saying much of the industry is already implementing similar protections.
  • Ben Toews — The speaker refers to the importance of protections and the difficulty of telling whether a chatbot is a person or AI, supporting the bill's safeguards.