Planning for the 2027 Idaho Legislative Session

We are currently faced with many questions that we will have to wait until November (or later) to get answers. Questions like who will make up the House Health and Welfare Committee, a crucial committee for the majority of our issues. With several members of the committee losing their primaries and the chair’s retirement we won’t know for months who will sit on committee in 2027. Committee chairs have control over what legislation gets printed, heard, and possibly passed. Until we know who will chair the committee it’s impossible to know how far much of our legislation can move.

While we wait we are working with current committee members who will be returning to gain support and build champions for some of our key issues.

Cardiac Emergency Response Plans (CERPS): We are working to build legislative support for Cardiac Emergency Response Plans in schools and athletics. In addition to building legislative support we are building our coalition on the issue to have a larger presence of partners, advocates, and survivors to help push the legislation over the finish line in the 2027 legislative session.

Medicaid Expansion Defense: We are also preparing for further challenges to Medicaid expansion, as new federal guidelines for the program are being implemented over the next several years. Our coalition is focused on ensuring participants have clarity on what is expected of them so the process of applying for Medicaid expansion, the requited reporting requirements including work requirements, and other challenges are not roadblocks for people obtaining health care coverage.

Tobacco/Nicotine Control: We’re planning to continue our efforts to raise tobacco taxes, include electronic cigarettes and other new and emerging products into the tax, and supporting a fee for the tobacco retail license.

We are in a critical planning period so we are also reaching out to advocates across the state to help us move these policy issues across the finish line. If any of these issues speak to you please reach out to our Grassroots Manager – Grace @[email protected]