Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Legislative Session Day 46 Feb 26th, 2026

Idaho Senate Floor Meeting

Key Moments

  • Christy Zito — Christy Zito is mentioned repeatedly during the roll call, with the transcript showing uncertain or possibly misspelled name entries (e.g., 'Pierky,' 'Burke,' and 'Blaylock') that appear to refer to the same member in the same roll call sequence.
  • Christy Zito — Requested unanimous consent to dispense with reading of Senate Bill 1276 and was recognized to open debate.
  • Christy Zito — Opened debate on Senate Bill 1276.
  • Christy Zito — Explained that Senate Bill 1276 removes the sunset provision and supports continued use of retired employees in schools.
  • Christy Zito — Closed debate on Senate Bill 1276.
  • Christy Zito — Appears in the roll call as a garbled name.
  • Christy Zito — Requested unanimous consent to dispense with further reading of Senate Bill 1292 and open debate.
  • Christy Zito — Recognized to open debate on Senate Bill 1292 after unanimous consent was granted.
  • Christy Zito — Opened debate on Senate Bill 1292 and described it as a follow-up to prior work on foster care licensing training requirements.
  • Christy Zito — Continued explaining the history of foster care licensing training requirements and described the burden of the earlier in-person training requirement.
  • Christy Zito — Closed debate on Senate Bill 1292 and urged support for the legislation.
  • Christy Zito — Senator Zito is recognized to speak in debate.
  • Christy Zito — Senator Blaylock is asked to yield and responds to a question.
  • Christy Zito — Senator Blaylock yields again to a follow-up question.
  • Christy Zito — Asked what happens if districts spend money expecting reimbursement and the reimbursement is not available at year-end.
  • Christy Zito — Responded that districts must spend the money to provide services and reimbursement would only offset the source of funds.
  • Christy Zito — Referenced as the senator from District 11 who could not answer a question about student counts.
  • Christy Zito — Referenced as the senator from District 11 who answered questions and sponsored the proposal.
  • Christy Zito — Began speaking against the bill after being recognized by the chair.
  • Christy Zito — Argued that federal mandates reduce state sovereignty and local control, and objected to the bill being described as one-time funding.
  • Christy Zito — Warned that the new fund could require future funding from other accounts and called for the state to reclaim sovereignty over schools.
  • Christy Zito — Predicted the bill would become ongoing funding and argued the funding formula should be voted on first.
  • Christy Zito — Senator Christy Zito continued debate on Senate Bill 1288 by sharing a constituent’s experience caring for a family member with Lou Gehrig’s disease under a COVID-era home-care program, describing how she helped when that support ended and the family needed replacement care. She used the example to caution against promising services without reliable long-term funding and to emphasize that the bill should not be used for broader structural changes. She then thanked a colleague for clarifying special education numbers and noted that an IEP alone does not qualify a student for this fund, before closing debate on the bill.
  • Julie VanOrden — Julie VanOrden is mentioned repeatedly in the roll call, with the transcript rendering her name in several likely misspelled or misrecognized forms ('Burtonshaw,' 'Laylock,' and 'Ben Orden'). These references all point to the same member and reflect a single roll-call identification moment.
  • Julie VanOrden — Name appears in the roll call, though transcript is garbled.
  • Julie VanOrden — Named in the roll call.
  • Glenneda Zuiderveld — During the roll call, the member name appears in two uncertain forms, both referring to Glenneda Zuiderveld/Carlson, indicating a single attendance mention with inconsistent transcription.
  • Glenneda Zuiderveld — Appears in the roll call as a garbled name.
  • Glenneda Zuiderveld — Named in the roll call.
  • Kevin Cook — Appears in the roll call list.
  • Kevin Cook — Likely intended as 'Senator Kays' being recognized as present, though uncertain.
  • Kevin Cook — Likely intended as a roll call name, but the transcript here is a continuation of the vote list and the exact member reference is unclear.
  • Kevin Cook — Senator Cook argues that Idaho has a real state need and emphasizes that the department found money on its own rather than asking for more funding, praising that creative approach to meeting the need.
  • Kelly Anthon — Senator Den Hartog is referenced repeatedly during a brief procedural sequence: first in the roll call/call to be recognized, then as being recognized for a Senate privilege, and finally as requesting that the Senate go at ease.
  • Kelly Anthon — Appears in the roll call, though the transcript is garbled.
  • Kelly Anthon — Named in the roll call; recorded as aye.
  • Daniel Foreman — Appears in the roll call list.
  • Daniel Foreman — The transcript appears to misrecognize Senator Den Hartog as 'Senator Dan Hartog' in the motion to advance orders of business.
  • Daniel Foreman — The transcript appears to misrecognize Senator Den Hartog in the motion to advance to the 11th Order of Business.
  • Daniel Foreman — The transcript appears to misrecognize Senator Den Hartog in the motion to read first-reading bills by number, author, and title only.
  • Daniel Foreman — The transcript appears to misrecognize Senator Den Hartog in the motion to proceed to second reading and read bills by number and author only.
  • Daniel Foreman — Recognized to speak in favor of the bill.
  • Daniel Foreman — Senator Lenney is addressed by the chair regarding whether he is rising to debate the bill a second time.
  • Codi Galloway — Appears in the roll call list.
  • Codi Galloway — Codi Galloway is referenced in the course of the budget debate on the bill. She is addressed as the senator speaking on the issue, and the discussion continues with a reference to her earlier point that students would still be helped despite the budget concerns.
  • Codi Galloway — Named in the roll call.
  • C. Grow — Likely intended as 'Grove' in the roll call list.
  • C. Grow — Likely intended as 'Senator Groh' who requests an introduction.
  • Jim Guthrie — Appears in the roll call list.
  • Jim Guthrie — Named in the roll call.