BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho House of Representatives on March 27 passed House Bill 4-45, a cash appropriation that includes $30,000,000 targeted to water infrastructure projects such as aquifer recharge, storage and conveyance improvements. The bill passed on a recorded vote of 56 ayes, 13 nays and 1 member recorded absent/excused.

The measure funds projects the sponsor described as aimed at sustaining long-term water availability across multiple basins, with language designating some dollars to support the 2024 settlement agreement between groundwater users and the Surface Water Coalition. The sponsor, Representative, District 32 (sponsor), told colleagues the appropriation will support aquifer recharge and projects “that make water a beneficial use for every citizen in the state of Idaho.”

Supporters said the $30 million is one step in a multi-year, multi-source program of work and that the appropriation includes reporting and an application process. Representative, District 13, who spoke in favor, pointed to the bill text and said the legislation identifies projects on “page 2, lines 39 through 47” and requires an annual report on funded projects. “These projects are also under review in terms of an application process,” the representative said, adding that applications must show a project is viable before funds are released.

Opponents urged more specificity and legislative safeguards. Representative, District 12 said she could not support a $30 million ongoing request without an itemized, prioritized list and clearer oversight. “We’re just handing over a blank check,” she said, adding that the legislature should see an itemized list so it can exercise effective oversight.

Several speakers placed the appropriation in historical and regional context. Representatives from Eastern and Southern Idaho described decades of irrigation development and argued for investments to protect spring flows and downstream economic activity. One lawmaker cited historical figures for the Eastern Snake Plain aquifer, noting it peaked near 18,000,000 acre-feet historically and has fallen and stabilized at a much lower level in recent years; other speakers said recent projects have contributed roughly 690,000 acre-feet into the aquifer in recent years.

The bill’s sponsor and other proponents emphasized two technical points: (1) the appropriation is a cash transfer and, as written, is authorized for a single fiscal year (cash appropriations are typically one-year), even though the request was described as ongoing; and (2) the bill contains program language defining eligible project types — aquifer recharge, groundwater management, reservoir and conveyance rehabilitation, efficiency and conservation projects, and emergency repairs. The sponsor said that although many of the funded projects take multiple years to complete, statute and the appropriation language require reporting and identify eligible project types.

One member, Representative, District 34, declared a conflict under House rule 80 and noted his father sits on the Idaho Water Resource Board; the conflict was entered on the record and noted in the journal.

Several supporters stressed matching and private investment. Committee and floor remarks said prior appropriations and state ARPA funds have totaled hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years and that many water districts and private parties match state funds for projects. The sponsor also said appointments to the Idaho Water Resource Board are confirmed by the Senate and that the Legislature retains tools to demand reports and hold hearings.

The House voted after extended floor debate. House leadership directed the bill to a recorded vote; the clerk’s tally reported 56 ayes, 13 nays and 1 absent/excused and the bill was declared passed by the House.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 4-45 (water infrastructure appropriation): Passed, 56–13 (1 absent/excused). Purpose: $30,000,000 cash appropriation for aquifer recharge, groundwater management, storage and conveyance projects; bill text designates eligible project types and requires reporting and an application process. Notes: appropriation is written as a one-year cash transfer though requested as ongoing; some members requested additional project-level oversight.

- House Bill 4-57 (animal rescue sales tax exemption): Passed (suspension of rules recorded roll used; final tally reported later in the journal). Purpose: exempt certain animal-rescue entities from sales tax (floor statement noted this was previously considered and returned for procedural reasons).

- Senate Bill 11-67 (code cleanup — taxing district repeal): Passed, clerk reported 55 ayes, 13 nays, 2 absent/excused. Sponsor described it as repeal of an unused special taxing-district authority last used in 1980.

- Senate Bill 11-70 (cyanide permitting/DEQ rule-to-code changes): Passed, clerk reported 61 ayes, 8 nays, 1 absent/excused. Sponsor described the measure as updating permitting timelines and public-notice provisions for cyanide permitting; supporters said it does not change environmental standards and requires a 60-day public comment period.

- Senate Bill 11-83 (wildfire standard-of-care act — utility mitigation plans): Passed, recorded vote reported 46 ayes, 22 nays, [reported absences]. Purpose: requires utilities to prepare mitigation/vegetation-management plans submitted to the Public Utilities Commission with coordination from fire districts and state forestry; the bill creates a rebuttable presumption for utilities that follow an approved mitigation plan (not an immunity) and includes procedures for right-of-way access for vegetation work.

- Senate Bill 11-40 (transportation definitions and related provisions, as amended): Passed, clerk reported 59 ayes, 9 nays, 2 absent/excused. The floor sponsor said the bill clarifies definitions such as "primary benefit of motor vehicles" and adds enforcement provisions; opponents raised concerns about criminal penalties and unintended consequences.

- Senate Bill 11-44 (transportation/right-of-way and nonresidential collectors): Passed, clerk reported 58 ayes, 10 nays, 2 absent/excused. The bill clarifies county authority for highway width, relocation and limits reduction of width for nonresidential collectors/arterials; it also addresses when bicycle/pedestrian facilities may be incorporated as collateral benefits.

- Senate Bill 11-59 (EMS technical clarification): Passed, clerk reported 69 ayes, 1 absent/excused. Sponsor described it as a minor technical fix to prior EMS legislation to clarify grant eligibility language.

What’s next

The bill will proceed to the Senate for consideration of the House-passed text. Floor debate and committee remarks noted the appropriation interacts with prior state investments and federal processes (for projects subject to NEPA and other approvals). Proponents and opponents both signaled follow-up work: proponents expect project applications and annual reporting; some members said they will press for more project-level detail in subsequent budgeting cycles or committee oversight.

Ending

Supporters framed HB4-45 as an investment in agricultural and municipal infrastructure intended to protect spring flows and downstream economies; critics said the Legislature should demand more itemization and oversight before approving ongoing commitments. The record shows the House approved the appropriation with reporting requirements and project application language but left several members urging further legislative monitoring and specific project prioritization.