BOISE, Idaho — The 2026 legislative session has come to an end, with Idaho lawmakers returning to their homes across the state.
Senior Reporter Don Nelson spoke with Republican Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle and Democrat Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow to hear their assessments of lawmakers' efforts over the last couple of months.
Their assessments paint very different pictures.
WATCH: Republican and Democratic leaders offer opposing reviews of the 2026 Legislative Session
Nelson asked Moyle and Wintrow to describe the work of the 2026 session in one sentence. Moyle answered, “Yeah, most of it got done, the overwhelmingly majority of it.”
However, Wintrow disagreed, saying that she would give the session a grade of "F plus".
Much of the legislature's focus in 2026 centered on budget cuts to state agencies and their impacts.
The House Speaker said this year's session helped to establish tax relief for Idahoans and budget efficiency.
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"The budgets are basically as flat as they can be," Moyle said, "We did take care of prisons and all the places that we were short of money, so no it worked out good.”
Wintrow was not impressed with the Speaker's assessment and responded, “The Speaker talked about how we filled holes, well, the Legislature created the holes, and I don’t think they’re plugged very well, they’re leaking already."
Senator Wintrow points to the 11 million dollars cut from Fish and Game's budget.
Wintrow criticizes the decision, calling it "ludicrous", particularly after Governor Brad Little signed a bill establishing hunting as the official state sport.
“Might be the official sport, but we’re not going to let the sportsmen have their money so they can actually go out, and hunt and fish," Wintrow said.
Speaker Moyle said tough decisions had to be made.
“We trimmed back for those things where there was money that needed to be trimmed back to keep things in line,” Moyle said.
Wintrow was quick to point out that her constituents are tired of the Republican majority trying to legislate morality.
“They’re fed up, you know, shaking their fists at the bathroom and toilet seat, they want real results."
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Idaho News 6 will continue to follow the new laws and their impacts on local neighborhoods.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
