Bill Analyses and Ratings

Rating: –1

Bill Summary:
Senate Bill 1214 (2025) appropriates an additional $187,000 to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for Fiscal Year 2026. The funds come from the Public Utilities Commission Fund and are allocated as follows: $178,700 for personnel costs, $4,100 for operating expenditures, and $4,200 for capital outlay. In addition to the funding increase, the bill authorizes two new full-time equivalent (FTE) positions for the commission. An emergency clause makes the act effective on July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:
While the dollar amount is modest and does not draw from the state’s General Fund, this bill nonetheless expands the size and cost of government by authorizing two new permanent positions without justification, performance benchmarks, or sunset provisions. The Public Utilities Commission is funded through fees assessed on utility companies, which are passed on to Idaho consumers—meaning this expansion indirectly raises costs for Idaho ratepayers. The Idaho Republican Party Platform (Article I, Section 1D) opposes unnecessary growth in government personnel and calls for strict scrutiny of state functions. S1214 fails to meet those expectations by growing state staffing without any accompanying reforms or accountability measures, warranting a negative rating.