BOISE, Idaho — As we welcome in the New Year, states across the country are welcoming new laws that take effect today. Here in Idaho, there are a few major laws that go into effect starting January 1.
- HB 124- students can no longer use their school ID cards to register to vote
- Clean Slate Act- provides low-level offenders with a fresh start, allowing them to petition an Idaho Court to seal records
- HB 161 closes three loopholes in the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
One of the bigger ones is a law that specifically affects students - HB 124. This law means students can no longer use their school ID cards to register to vote and to vote on election day. Idaho driver's license, U.S. passport, tribal ID card, and concealed carry permit are still acceptable.
In a recent interview, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane says, “We had really strict I.D. requirements to vote so if you were already registered and you went to the polls to vote you have to show a certain ID but we had very loose restrictions on registering to vote so we just said we should we should make it uniform.”
Another law that was scheduled to go into effect had its enforcement blocked by a federal judge just days ago.
The Vulnerable Child Protection Actbans gender-affirming care for minors. A U.S. District Judge ruled it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection clauses. Idaho's Republican Attorney General Raúl Labrador plans to appeal that ruling.
For now, minors who receive gender-affirming care in the state won't lose access at the start of the year.
Another one of those laws is the Clean Slate Act. This law provides low-level offenders with a fresh start, allowing them to petition an Idaho Court to seal records surrounding one low-level, non-violent, non-sexual crime.
Another law, HB 161, pertains to the supplemental nutrition assistance program of SNAP for short. This law closes three loopholes in the state's assistance program making it mandatory for everyone enrolled and who is able-bodied to be working.
Several other laws went into effect this past July.