The Idaho State Legislation has introduced several bills in relation to immigration status during the 2026 legislative session.
House Bill 656 would require public schools, charter schools, public universities and colleges to report on the nationality, primary language and immigration status of all students. HB 656 states that the additional information gathered will not be used to discriminate against students.
This bill would be an addition to preexisting Idaho State code Title 33, Chapter One, which deals with the use and limitations of student data that is reported directly to the Idaho State Board of Education. HB 656 was referred to the house education committee on Feb. 13.
House Bill 592 would require hospitals to collect patients’ immigration status and report the expected costs to treat those patients to the state. These reports would not include patient information. Like the previous bill, this would be an addition to prior state code Title 39, Chapter 13. HB 592 was sent to the health and welfare committee on Feb. 5.
Senate Bill 1247, House Bill 584 and House Bill 704 intend to mandate the use of the federal government work authorization program E-Verify to establish certain requirements for employers to verify the lawful status of workers. SB 1247 passed the senate on Feb. 19 and is now in the house for reading, while HB 584 remains in committee discussion.
House Bill 700 would make it a misdemeanor for employers to knowingly hire or continue employing individuals who are not lawfully present in the U.S. or authorized to work under federal law.
HB 700 and 704 were reported out of committee on Feb. 24 with do pass recommendations, which means the committee advises the full House or Senate to approve the bill in its current form.
According to a report from University of Idaho faculty Tim Naderau and Steven Peterson, the implementation of these bills could lead to an estimated gross state product loss of $5.1 billion, or 3.6%, and a $397.8 million reduction in state tax revenues. The study estimated there were between 30,000 and 50,000 unauthorized individuals in Idaho, and that these bills would have an impact on 50% of the unauthorized workforce.
Josie Adjanohoun can be reached at [email protected].