Idaho Legislature

Idaho Legislature
Idaho Legislature
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Senate; House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate President	Scott Bedke (R) ; since January 2, 2023
Senate President pro tempore	Kelly Anthon (R) ; since December 5, 2024
House Speaker	Mike Moyle (R) ; since December 1, 2022
Structure
Seats	105 voting members 35 senators; 70 representatives;
State Senate political groups	Republican (28); Democratic (7);
House of Representatives political groups	Republican (59); Democratic (11);
Elections
Last State Senate election	November 8, 2022
Next State Senate election	November 5, 2024
Meeting place
	Idaho State Capitol; Boise
Website
	Idaho Legislature

The Idaho Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the 43rd State of Idaho and is bicameral, consisting of the upper chamber of the Idaho Senate and the lower chamber of the Idaho House of Representatives. The state of Idaho is divided into 35 legislative districts, which each elect one state senator and two representatives. There are no term limits for reelection of members of either chamber.

The crossing of upper and lower chamber of their districts into a single representing constituency is found in only seven of the fifty U.S. state legislatures, these are: Idaho, Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Based on 2010 United States Decennial Census data, each legislative district in the state of Idaho had approximately 44,788 residents. Based on subsequent 2020 U.S. Decennial Census data, each legislative district had an ideal population of approximately 52,546 people.

History

The first Idaho legislature convened in December 1890.

Elections and composition

Members of the Idaho Legislature were originally elected by county, but in recent times districts apportioned by population have replaced representation by county.

Today members of the Idaho Legislature are elected from 35 districts throughout the state. Some districts include several counties, while others are located entirely within a single county. Ada County, the state's largest by population, currently has nine legislative districts within its boundaries (as of the 2010 redistricting, Ada County has Legislative Districts 14, 15, 16 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22.)^[1]

All 105 members are elected simultaneously every two years on the same day as the federal election day in early November.^[2]

Districts

Each district is represented by one senator and two representatives. Idaho has fourteen committees in the House of Representatives and ten committees in the Senate. Currently, there are thirty-five members in the Senate with twenty-six men and nine women. The House of Representatives also currently holds seventy members with forty-six men and twenty-four women.

Districts are reapportioned every 10 years. The next reapportionment is expected to occur after the 2030 census and take effect as of the 2032 election.

In the 1980s voters elected legislators from two districts, a smaller local district and a larger "floterial" district which often encompassed an entire region of the state. Legislative seats in floterial districts were last contested in 1990. Today floterial districts are prohibited by the Idaho Constitution.^[2]

A pie chart showing the gender of members of the Idaho House of Representatives.
A pie chart showing the gender of members of the Idaho Senate.

Responsibilities

According to the Legislature's website, the Idaho Legislature is responsible for translating the public will into policy for the state, levying taxes, appropriating public funds, and overseeing the administration of state agencies. These responsibilities are carried out through the legislative process - laws passed by elected representatives of the people, legislators.

Location and time of operation

The Idaho Legislature normally convenes at the Idaho State Capitol in downtown Boise. The Legislature meets annually from January until mid-March, although sessions have been known to last into May. The Governor of Idaho may also call special sessions at any time.

The Idaho State Capitol Commission^[3] was created by Governor Phil Batt in 1998. The Commission undertook the leading role of extensively remodeling the capitol building starting in 2007. The 2008 and 2009 sessions of the Idaho Legislature met in converted courtrooms in the old Ada County Courthouse. The capitol building was official re-opened and re-dedicated on January 9, 2010.

References

^ "L93.pdf" (PDF). legislature.idaho.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Idaho State Constitution Article III". sos.idaho.gov. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
^ Idaho State Capitol Commission. Accessed 3 August 2007.

External links

Official website

[1] "L93.pdf" (PDF). legislature.idaho.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2015.

[articleIII-2] "Idaho State Constitution Article III". sos.idaho.gov. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.

[closed-3] Idaho State Capitol Commission. Accessed 3 August 2007.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Members of the Idaho Senate
67th Legislature (2022–2023) President of the Senate Scott Bedke (R) President pro tempore Chuck Winder (R) Majority Leader Kelly Anthon (R) Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow (D)
▌Scott Herndon (R) ▌Phil Hart (R) ▌Doug Okuniewicz (R) ▌Ben Toews (R) ▌Carl Bjerke (R) ▌Dan Foreman (R) ▌Cindy Carlson (R) ▌Geoff Schroeder (R) ▌Brandon Shippy (R) ▌Tammy Nichols (R) ▌Chris Trakel (R) ▌Ben Adams (R) ▌Brian Lenney (R) ▌C. Scott Grow (R) ▌Rick Just (D) ▌Alison Rabe (D) ▌Carrie Semmelroth (D) ▌Janie Ward-Engelking (D) ▌Melissa Wintrow (D) ▌Chuck Winder (R) ▌Treg Bernt (R) ▌Lori Den Hartog (R) ▌Todd Lakey (R) ▌Glenneda Zuiderveld (R) ▌Linda Wright Hartgen (R) ▌Ron Taylor (D) ▌Kelly Anthon (R) ▌Jim Guthrie (R) ▌James Ruchti (D) ▌Julie VanOrden (R) ▌Van Burtenshaw (R) ▌Kevin Cook (R) ▌Dave Lent (R) ▌Doug Ricks (R) ▌Mark Harris (R)
▌Republican (28) ▌Democratic (7) Idaho Legislature Idaho House of Representatives Idaho Senate

v t e Members of the Idaho House of Representatives
67th Legislature (2023–2024) Speaker of the House Mike Moyle (R) Majority Leader Jason Monks (R) Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D)
▌Mark Sauter (R) ▌Cornel Rasor (R) ▌Heather Scott (R) ▌Dale Hawkins (R) ▌Vito Barbieri (R) ▌Jordan Redman (R) ▌Joe Alfieri (R) ▌Elaine Price (R) ▌Ron Mendive (R) ▌Tony Wisniewski (R) ▌Lori McCann (R) ▌Brandon Mitchell (R) ▌Mike Kingsley (R) ▌Charlie Shepherd (R) ▌Matthew Bundy (R) ▌Megan Blanksma (R) ▌Jacyn Gallagher (R) ▌Judy Boyle (R) ▌Mike Moyle (R) ▌Bruce Skaug (R) ▌Julie Yamamoto (R) ▌Chris Allgood (R) ▌Jeff Cornilles (R) ▌Jaron Crane (R) ▌Brent Crane (R) ▌Kenny Wroten (R) ▌Ted Hill (R) ▌Josh Tanner (R) ▌Steve Berch (D) ▌Dori Healey (R) ▌Soñia Galaviz (D) ▌Todd Achilles (D) ▌John Gannon (D) ▌Megan Egbert (D) ▌Ilana Rubel (D) ▌Brooke Green (D) ▌Lauren Necochea (D) ▌Chris Mathias (D) ▌Joe Palmer (R) ▌James Holtzclaw (R) ▌James Petzke (R) ▌Jeff Ehlers (R) ▌John Vander Woude (R) ▌Jason Monks (R) ▌Melissa Durrant (R) ▌Tina Lambert (R) ▌Chenele Dixon (R) ▌Steve Miller (R) ▌Lance Clow (R) ▌Gregory Lanting (R) ▌Ned Burns (D) ▌Jack Nelsen (R) ▌Douglas Pickett (R) ▌Clay Handy (R) ▌Richard Cheatum (R) ▌Dan Garner (R) ▌Dustin Manwaring (R) ▌Nate Roberts (D) ▌David Cannon (R) ▌Julianne Young (R) ▌Jerald Raymond (R) ▌Rod Furniss (R) ▌Stephanie Mickelsen (R) ▌Wendy Horman (R) ▌Barbara Ehardt (R) ▌Marco Erickson (R) ▌Jon Weber (R) ▌Britt Raybould (R) ▌Kevin Andrus (R) ▌Josh Wheeler (R)
▌Republican (59) ▌Democratic (11) Idaho Legislature Idaho House of Representatives Idaho Senate

v t e Legislatures of the United States
United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate
State legislatures	Alabama (H, S) Alaska (H, S) Arizona (H, S) Arkansas (H, S) California (A, S) Colorado (H, S) Connecticut (H, S) Delaware (H, S) Florida (H, S) Georgia (H, S) Hawaii (H, S) Idaho (H, S) Illinois (H, S) Indiana (H, S) Iowa (H, S) Kansas (H, S) Kentucky (H, S) Louisiana (H, S) Maine (H, S) Maryland (H, S) Massachusetts (H, S) Michigan (H, S) Minnesota (H, S) Mississippi (H, S) Missouri (H, S) Montana (H, S) Nebraska Nevada (A, S) New Hampshire (H, S) New Jersey (GA, S) New Mexico (H, S) New York (A, S) North Carolina (H, S) North Dakota (H, S) Ohio (H, S) Oklahoma (H, S) Oregon (H, S) Pennsylvania (H, S) Rhode Island (H, S) South Carolina (H, S) South Dakota (H, S) Tennessee (H, S) Texas (H, S) Utah (H, S) Vermont (H, S) Virginia (H, S) Washington (H, S) West Virginia (H, S) Wisconsin (A, S) Wyoming (H, S)
Other legislatures	District of Columbia American Samoa (H, S) Guam Northern Mariana Islands (H, S) Puerto Rico (H, S) U.S. Virgin Islands
Legislative elections	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
List of U.S. state legislators Lists of past U.S. state legislatures

Authority control databases
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