Greg Timminsky — Greg Timminsky, representing the Middleton and Star Fire Districts and Idaho Fire Chiefs, was introduced and identified himself before beginning his presentation. He explained that the bill was a fallback from House Bill 389.
Chief Timminsky — Concluded testimony and stood for questions.
Ken Burgess — Ken Burgess is introduced as the first signed-up witness and then testifies on behalf of the Idaho Home Builders Association in support of House Bill 959. He states that the association strongly supports the bill and asks the committee to send it to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Kelly Packer — Kelly Packer, Executive Director of the Association of Idaho Cities, testified in support of House Bill 959. She explained that the bill needs to pass because some form of relief must be found.
Treg Bernt — Made the motion to send House Bill 959 to the floor with a due pass recommendation; transcript labels him as 'Senator Taves.'
Treg Bernt — The transcript says 'I will also support the motion'; likely a committee member speaking in favor of the motion.
Treg Bernt — Introduced House Bill 706 and explained it would allow single-stairway apartment buildings in certain situations.
Treg Bernt — Yielded the rest of his time to his co-sponsor on House Bill 706.
Treg Bernt — Spoke in support of the motion, emphasizing local land-use review and the permissive nature of the bill.
Treg Bernt — Asks the witness to elaborate on a proposed amendment that would lessen the impact on cities.
Treg Bernt — Likely the senator being addressed in the witness's response, though the transcript is garbled as 'Senator Burr.'
Treg Bernt — The transcript says 'Senator Lakey' is recognized, but the speaker is actually Todd Lakey, who is not in the expected member list.
Treg Bernt — Senator Lakey is referenced as having indicated there was a commitment to come back next session and do more.
Treg Bernt — The speaker references the majority leader and the pro tem in discussing the bill's handling.
Treg Bernt — Senator Lakey is referenced as being in the room with others working on a future solution.
Kelly Anthon — Senator Kelly Anthon seconded the motion on House Bill 959 and then briefly explained his support for the bill, saying he was compelled to support it and push it forward, while noting it helps districts but not cities.
Kelly Anthon — Recorded as voting no on the motion.
Kelly Anthon — Introduces House Bill 967 and says he will present with Colonel Gardner and Representative Ehlers.
Kelly Anthon — Says Idaho State Police is facing a dire staffing circumstance and needs compensation action this session.
Kelly Anthon — Says the proposal is a compromise effort with the House after other efforts failed.
Kelly Anthon — Senator Anthon participates in the discussion of the proposal by confirming that the commitment to suspend lateral transfers also applies to cities and acknowledging the issue with the colonel. The exchange then continues with references to earlier comments that the proposal is a good start, followed by thanks to Representative Palmer and Senator Lakey for helping provide updated fiscal specifics.
Kelly Anthon — Senator Kelly Anthon says he does not like the bill and is conflicted about supporting it, but he emphasizes that he is committed to ensuring state police are paid more, indicating his opposition is to the bill’s approach rather than to higher pay for officers.
Kelly Anthon — Will carry the bill on the floor.
Alison Rabe — Senator Alison Rabe speaks in support of the motion while emphasizing that the committee should keep working toward larger, more comprehensive solutions. She then identifies herself as representing District 16, including Garden City and Northwest Boise, and explains that housing policy and affordability concerns are the driving rationale behind the bill.
Alison Rabe — Senator Rabe is thanked and then engaged with questions about pressurization and building safety. The discussion continues into an explanation that these buildings are typically not constructed in the relevant way, followed by a broader reference to Senator Rabe’s explanation of the benefits of single-stair buildings and the cost-saving rationale behind them.
Alison Rabe — The speaker refers to Senator Rabe and indicates opposition to the motion, explaining that there are funds available elsewhere, including the rainy day fund, and concluding with a no vote.
Ron Taylor — Expressed full support for the motion and said legislative changes may help fire and municipal districts combine and improve services.
Ron Taylor — Ron Taylor was involved in the committee discussion by seconding the motion on House Bill 706, then speaking to thank the witnesses and note his background as a retired firefighter, and was later referenced again in the same exchange as the senator who would vote no.
Ron Taylor — Senator Taylor says he agrees with the prior senators and finds the situation embarrassing.
Ron Taylor — Recorded as voting no on the motion.
Ben Adams — Senator Ben Adams asks about the share of Idaho families living in apartments three to six stories high as part of a broader discussion of affordable housing for regular Idaho families, and he is directly addressed in the continuing exchange.
Ben Adams — Senator Adams, addressed as the Pro Tem, states that he will vote no on the motion and says he is voting with his local firefighter. He is then referenced as not being alone in opposing the motion, and the sequence concludes with the official record showing Senator Adams voting no.
Ben Adams — Senator Lakey is referenced as having previously mentioned the issue; no direct statement in this section.
Ben Adams — Senator Ben Adams asks the witness how he responds to earlier comments that $20 million in fuel tax money was shifted from ISP to cities. The witness replies that he was not around at the time when the fuel tax monies were shifted.
Ben Adams — Ben Adams moves to send House Bill 967 to the floor with a due pass recommendation, and the discussion continues with references to how the Senate previously handled the issue and Adams’s prior role in legislation that shifted ISP off the highway distribution account.
Terran Mitchell — Terran Mitchell is introduced virtually, connects to the meeting, identifies himself as the founding principal of TKM Architecture, and provides testimony in support of the bill. He describes his extensive experience designing multifamily residential projects, explains how site constraints can make small urban parcels suitable for small apartment buildings, and then concludes his remarks.
Mike Bisagno — The chair announces the next public witness, Mike Bisagno.
Mike Bisonio — Mike Bisonio corrects the pronunciation of his name and identifies himself as a farmer.
Mike Bozano — Mike Bozano, Fire Marshal with the Boise Fire Department speaking for the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association, testifies that a single stairway creates serious fire safety concerns because occupants above a fire may lack a second interior escape route and firefighters may lack an alternate protected access route for rescue and suppression.
Jordan Morales — Introduced himself as a sixth-generation Idahoan and southeast Boise resident speaking in support of House Bill 706.
Lance Sayers — Association of Idaho Cities policy analyst who testified in opposition to House Bill 706.
Steven Talby — Steven Talby, Deputy Chief Fire Marshal for the City of Meridian, testified against the bill on fire safety grounds and urged the committee to keep current national fire and building code limits, specifically limiting these occupancies to no more than three stories.
Jonathan Wheatley — Jonathan Wheatley was called up, but the chair immediately corrected that he was on the wrong bill.
Jonathan Wheatley — Jonathan Wheatley, Deputy Director of the Association of Idaho Cities, testified in opposition to the bill. He argued that it does not make sense to redirect money that would otherwise support local first responders and instead shift it to ISP, and he suggested the funding should remain on the city and county side.
Rob Shoplock — Rob Shoplock of the Professional Firefighters of Idaho continued his testimony opposing single-exit/single-stair buildings by citing multiple fatal fire incidents as evidence, including the Bronx (2017), Worcester (2019), Riverhead (2021), Montreal (2023), and Honolulu (2025), to argue that limited egress can contribute to deadly outcomes for residents and firefighters.
Lori Hartog — Senator Lori Hartog is identified, then moves that House Bill 706 be sent to the floor with a due pass recommendation, and follows up by speaking in support of her motion, emphasizing the importance of local decision-making and consultation with firefighters, chiefs, and building officials.
Bill Gardner — Bill Gardner, director of the Idaho State Police, presented supporting materials to explain severe staffing shortages and compensation problems within ISP. He walked through organizational and pay comparison documents showing vacancies across the state, noted that ISP has about 120 road trooper positions with nearly 40 openings, and described academy recruits leaving for better-paying sheriff’s offices and other agencies. He explained that ISP’s funding history and the way CEC increases are applied have contributed to long-term pay gaps, making troopers roughly $12 to $15 per hour behind comparable agencies. Gardner said the committee-developed pay plan needs full funding, emphasized that he is not seeking to make ISP the highest-paid agency but simply competitive, and noted that he has agreed to suspend the lateral hiring program for three years to address sheriffs’ concerns. He also illustrated ISP’s value as a statewide resource by citing the Moscow homicide investigation, where the state spent significant resources supporting local law enforcement.
Brian Lovell — Brian Lovell is introduced as a virtual public witness, briefly adjusts his camera as he comes on screen, and then begins his testimony by identifying himself as Brian Lovell from Idaho Falls and president of the Idaho Fraternal Order of Police, speaking on behalf of the organization.
Haley Lewis — Haley Lewis, the recently elected mayor of Moscow, is introduced virtually and begins her testimony by asking the committee to oppose House Bill 967.
Mr. Wheatley — Mr. Wheatley explains that he was not present when the fuel tax monies were shifted, then responds to questions about his amendment and the bill’s funding structure. He clarifies the relevant subsections and states that he would advocate striking the city and county funding language, while increasing the subsection B general fund allocation from $2 million to $4 million.