H0623 • 2026

EDUCATION – Adds to existing law to require Idaho public schools to establish policies providing for a daily moment of silence.

Education

Enacted

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

Sponsor: EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Last action: 2026-03-20
Official status: LAW
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

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

EDUCATION – Adds to existing law to require Idaho public schools to establish policies providing for a daily moment of silence.

What This Bill Does

EDUCATION – Adds to existing law to require Idaho public schools to establish policies providing for a daily moment of silence.

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

2026-03-20 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Signed by Governor on March 19, 2026 Session Law Chapter 62 Effective: 07/01/2026
2026-03-19 Idaho State Legislature
Delivered to Governor at 4:22 p.m. on March 18, 2026
2026-03-18 Idaho State Legislature
Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
2026-03-18 Idaho State Legislature
Signed by President; returned to House
2026-03-18 Idaho State Legislature
Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor
2026-03-17 Idaho State Legislature
Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling
2026-03-17 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
2026-03-16 Idaho State Legislature
Read third time in full – PASSED - 18-15-2 AYES – Adams, Bjerke(Bjerke), Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Foreman, Grow, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Shippy, Toews, Zito, Zuiderveld NAYS – Bernt, Blaylock, Den Hartog, Galloway, Guthrie, Harris, Lenney, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Taylor, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woller(Rabe), Woodward Absent and excused – Anthon, VanOrden Floor Sponsor - Nichols Title apvd - to House
2026-03-12 Idaho State Legislature
Read second time; filed for Third Reading
2026-03-11 Idaho State Legislature
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
2026-02-25 Idaho State Legislature
Received from the House passed; filed for first reading
2026-02-25 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time; referred to: Education
2026-02-24 Idaho State Legislature
Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 51-17-2 AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Furniss, Garner, Hall(Stone), Harris, Hawkins, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Marmon, Mendive, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Weber, Wisniewski, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Berch, Cheatum, Church, Egbert, Fuhriman, Galaviz, Gannon, Green, Handy, Haws, Manwaring, Mathias, McCann, Mickelsen, Nelsen, Veile, Wheeler Absent – Rubel, Sauter Floor Sponsor - Skaug Title apvd - to Senate
2026-02-23 Idaho State Legislature
Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
2026-02-20 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 Education
2026-02-10 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing

Official Summary Text

EDUCATION – Adds to existing law to require Idaho public schools to establish policies providing for a daily moment of silence.

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.
623
BY
EDUCATION
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
EDUCATION;
AMENDING
CHAPTER
16,
TITLE
33,
IDAHO
CODE,
BY
THE
2
ADDITION
OF
A
NEW
SECTION
33
-
1639,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
REQUIRE
IDAHO
PUBLIC
3
SCHOOLS
TO
PROVIDE
FOR
A
DAILY
MOMENT
OF
SILENCE;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMER
-
4
GENCY
AND
PROVIDING
AN
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
5
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
6
SECTION
1.
That
Chapter
16,
Title
33,
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
33
-
1639,
Idaho
Code,
and
to
read
as
follows:
9
33
-
1639.
MOMENT
OF
SILENCE
IN
PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
(1)
At
or
near
the
begin
-
10
ning
of
each
school
day,
in
all
grades
and
in
all
Idaho
public
schools,
teach
-
1
1
ers
or
school
employees
in
charge
of
classrooms
shall
provide
for
a
brief
pe
-
12
riod
of
silence
for
a
minimum
of
sixty
(60)
seconds
with
the
participation
of
13
every
pupil
in
the
classroom.
During
such
period,
a
student
may,
without
in
-
14
terfering
with
or
distracting
another
student,
reflect,
meditate,
pray,
or
15
engage
in
another
silent
activity.
During
the
period
of
silence,
no
other
16
activities
shall
take
place.
17
(2)
Teachers
or
school
employees
shall
require
all
pupils
to
remain
18
silent
and
to
make
no
distracting
display
so
that
each
pupil
may,
in
the
ex
-
19
ercise
of
the
pupil's
individual
choice,
reflect,
meditate,
pray,
or
engage
20
in
any
other
silent
activity
that
does
not
interfere
with,
distract
from,
or
21
impede
other
pupils'
exercise
of
individual
choice.
22
(3)
Public
school
personnel
are
prohibited
from
providing
instruction
23
to
any
student
regarding
the
nature
of
any
reflection
that
a
student
may
en
-
24
gage
in
during
the
period
of
silence,
other
than
as
provided
in
this
section.
25
A
public
school
shall
provide
notification
to
parents
and
legal
guardians
26
including
information
on
the
period
of
silence
provided
in
this
section
and
27
shall
encourage
parents
and
legal
guardians
to
provide
guidance
to
pupils
28
regarding
such
period.
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
31
July
1,
2026.
32