H0620 • 2026

BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS – Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding special expertise of boards of county commissioners and coordination of planning efforts with federal agencies.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
Last action: 2026-03-18
Official status: LAW
Effective date: 2026-03-17

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS – Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding special expertise of boards of county commissioners and coordination of planning efforts with federal agencies.

What This Bill Does

BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS – Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding special expertise of boards of county commissioners and coordination of planning efforts with federal agencies.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-18 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Signed by Governor on March 17, 2026 Session Law Chapter 28 Effective: 03/17/2026
2026-03-16 Idaho State Legislature
Delivered to Governor at 2:30 p.m. on March 13, 2026
2026-03-13 Idaho State Legislature
Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor
2026-03-12 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
2026-03-12 Idaho State Legislature
Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
2026-03-12 Idaho State Legislature
Signed by President; returned to House
2026-03-11 Idaho State Legislature
Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling
2026-03-10 Idaho State Legislature
Read third time in full – PASSED - 30-3-2 AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Coho(Lenney), Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Keyser, Lakey, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Rundhaug(Carlson), Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Woodward NAYS – Kohl, Zito, Zuiderveld Absent and excused – Semmelroth, Wintrow Floor Sponsor - Harris Title apvd - to House
2026-03-02 Idaho State Legislature
Read second time; filed for Third Reading
2026-02-27 Idaho State Legislature
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
2026-02-20 Idaho State Legislature
Received from the House passed; filed for first reading
2026-02-20 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time; referred to: Local Government & Taxation
2026-02-19 Idaho State Legislature
Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 60-5-5 AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Haws, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman(Zaken), Rubel, Sauter, Scott, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wisniewski, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Cayler, Hostetler, Leavitt, Marmon, Thompson Absent – Bruce, Green, Manwaring, Shepherd, Wheeler Floor Sponsor - Boyle Title apvd - to Senate
2026-02-18 Idaho State Legislature
Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
2026-02-17 Idaho State Legislature
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
2026-02-11 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Printed and Referred to Local Government
2026-02-10 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing

Official Summary Text

BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS – Adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding special expertise of boards of county commissioners and coordination of planning efforts with federal agencies.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
620
BY
RESOURCES
AND
CONSERVATION
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
BOARDS
OF
COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS;
AMENDING
CHAPTER
8,
TITLE
31,
2
IDAHO
CODE,
BY
THE
ADDITION
OF
A
NEW
SECTION
31
-
882,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
ES
-
3
TABLISH
PROVISIONS
REGARDING
THE
POWERS
AND
DUTIES
OF
BOARDS
OF
COUNTY
4
COMMISSIONERS;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY.
5
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
6
SECTION
1.
That
Chapter
8,
Title
31,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
7
hereby
amended
by
the
addition
thereto
of
a
NEW
SECTION
,
to
be
known
and
des
-
8
ignated
as
Section
31
-
882,
Idaho
Code,
and
to
read
as
follows:
9
31
-
882.
SPECIAL
EXPERTISE
OF
BOARDS
OF
COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
-
-
CO
-
10
ORDINATION
OF
PLANNING
EFFORTS
WITH
FEDERAL
AGENCIES.
(1)
When
a
board
of
1
1
county
commissioners
represents
a
county
as
a
cooperating
agency
in
mat
-
12
ters
related
to
the
national
environmental
policy
act
and
in
federal
land
13
planning,
implementation,
and
management
actions,
the
board
of
county
com
-
14
missioners
shall
be
deemed
to
have
special
expertise
on
all
subject
matters
15
for
which
it
has
statutory
responsibility,
including
but
not
limited
to
16
those
directly
or
indirectly
related
to
the
health,
safety,
welfare,
custom,
17
culture,
and
socioeconomic
viability
of
a
county.
18
(2)
A
board
of
county
commissioners
that
has
adopted
a
comprehensive
19
plan
pursuant
to
section
67
-
6508,
Idaho
Code,
may
participate
in
efforts
to
20
coordinate
such
plan
with
federal
agencies
as
provided
in:
21
(a)
The
multiple
-
use
sustained
-
yield
act
of
1960;
22
(b)
The
forest
and
rangeland
renewable
resources
planning
act
of
1974,
23
as
amended
by
the
national
forest
management
act
of
1976;
24
(c)
The
federal
land
policy
and
management
act
of
1976;
25
(d)
Any
federal
regulations
adopted
pursuant
to
the
acts
listed
in
26
paragraphs
(a),
(b),
and
(c)
of
this
subsection;
and
27
(e)
Any
other
federal
statutes
that
provide
for
coordination
with
local
28
governments.
29
SECTION
2.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
30
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
its
31
passage
and
approval.
32