And they’re off! The 2026 Idaho legislative session began Monday with Gov. Brad Little delivering his State of the State and Budget Address from the House chamber. Watch the whole thing here, and try not to laugh at the governor’s corny jokes:
Reaction to the governor’s speech from people I spoke with ranged from neutral to slightly positive. Little made numerous references to President Donald Trump, as well as to various cabinet officials who have visited Idaho in the past year. He did not announce any major new policy initiatives, but instead explained how his Enduring Idaho Plan balances the budget without impacting what he described as the state’s most important investments.
Indeed, I got the impression that the governor was using his speech to signal to the Legislature which programs he wants left untouched as lawmakers look to cut spending this year. Little touted the Launch Grant, twice noting that it aligns with President Trump’s agenda. He also reiterated that he spared K–12 education from 3% holdbacks last year, and that his new budget maintains education spending levels.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) will meet tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. MT to begin its budget deliberations. Meanwhile, House Republican leaders presented their own agenda later Monday afternoon:
If you thought you noticed a new face in the thumbnail, you’re not wrong. With Rep. Josh Tanner taking over as co-chair of JFAC, the House GOP Caucus elected Rep. Doug Pickett as assistant majority leader. That move created a vacancy on the House Education Committee, adding to the puzzle Speaker Mike Moyle needed to solve before gaveling in this afternoon.
Four members of the House resigned this year—Democrat Todd Achilles stepped down to launch an independent campaign for the U.S. Senate, Kevin Andrus and Wendy Horman accepted positions in the Trump administration, and Lance Clow retired prior to the end of his term. As a result, four new representatives needed committee assignments, and three new committee chairmen had to be appointed.
Committee assignments were announced on the House floor shortly before the governor’s speech. Rep. Dale Hawkins took over as chairman of House Education after serving as vice chair last year. Likewise, Reps. Jordan Redman and Jerald Raymond advanced from vice chair to chair of the House Business and Agricultural Affairs committees, respectively.
Rep. Kyle Harris received two new assignments, moving up to vice chair of House Business while also taking a seat on JFAC. Rep. Chris Bruce also moved to JFAC, replacing Rep. Clay Handy, who became vice chair of House Education. Rep. John Shirts was made vice chair of House Agricultural Affairs.
Newly appointed representatives Anne Henderson Haws, Mike Veile, Don Hall, and Erin Bingham all received committee assignments as well. I’ve been updating committee assignments at Idaho Insider throughout the day.
From a conservative perspective, seeing Rep. Hawkins take over House Education is terrific. He has sponsored several strong pro-family education bills over the past few years. I’m also excited to see what Reps. Redman and Harris can accomplish in House Business, while the House side of JFAC now appears to be solidly conservative.
Earlier Monday morning, Chris Cargill of the Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC) announced the results of his organization’s latest Idaho Poll:
There weren’t many surprises in the results. Some highlights:
- A majority of Idahoans still support school choice, now that the Parental Choice Tax Credit is the law of the land.
- A majority of respondents approve not only of President Trump, but also of Gov. Little and Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo.
- When asked which tax they would most like to see eliminated, respondents were divided between income and property taxes, with sales taxes in third place.
One concerning response involved affordable housing. A plurality of respondents supported rent controls—which, as you and I know, only ever make things worse. What are they teaching in schools these days?
I’ll write a longer post about the poll results in the near future.
Following the MSPC presentation, Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon laid out the Republican Party’s agenda for the session. That agenda is determined by members of the State Central Committee, as expressed through resolutions passed at the Winter Meeting:
In addition to discussing resolutions, Chairwoman Moon shared her thoughts on the growing number of legislative scorecards. She warned particularly about AI-generated scorecards and how they are being weaponized against legislators she believes to be conservative. She praised the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) Freedom Index, calling it the gold standard and reminding attendees that it is based on analysis by real people, not computers.
Following Chairwoman Moon’s presentation, I joined Matt Edwards of Citizens Alliance of Idaho on Idaho Signal. I’m proud to once again be a contributor to this great program, which aims to keep citizens informed about the day-to-day operations of the Legislature:
So that was Day 1 of the 2026 session. Committees begin hearings tomorrow, with JFAC meeting at 8:00 a.m. Be sure to bookmark the Committee Daily Meeting Summary, which is updated each afternoon with the following day’s schedule. I’ll be back at the Capitol tomorrow to bring you the latest.
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About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
