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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho establishes licensing oversight, resident service plans, and a youth bill of rights for children's residential facilities
Last action · March 26, 2026: Reported Signed by Governor on March 26, 2026 Session Law Chapter 139 Effective: 07/01/2026
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What This Bill Does
Idaho law now requires the Department of Health and Welfare to conduct annual unannounced inspections, evaluate quality of care, and enforce a new Youth Bill of Rights in all licensed children's residential care facilities starting July 1, 2026. Residential facilities must document intake conditions, create s within 30 days of placement, update them every 90 days, and report s by the close of the next business day.
Residents in children's residential facilities gain enforceable rights to safety, privacy, and confidential communication channels, while facilities face mandatory reporting rules and annual unannounced inspections.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Children in licensed residential care facilities
Children receive explicit rights, individualized service planning, confidential communication access, and enhanced safety monitoring.
Children's residential care facilities
Facilities must comply with unannounced annual inspections, maintain intake and discharge documentation, report critical incidents by the next business day, and post the youth bill of rights.
Department of Health and Welfare
The department must oversee quality of care, conduct annual unannounced inspections, develop and publish the youth bill of rights, and enforce compliance penalties.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must a residential facility complete a child's initial individualized service plan?
What is a critical incident under the new law?
How often must residential facilities be inspected?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
18 actions- Mar 26, 2026EnrolledReported Signed by Governor on March 26, 2026 Session Law Chapter 139 Effective: 07/01/2026
- Mar 23, 2026Delivered to Governor at 1:52 p.m. on March 20, 2026
- Mar 20, 2026Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor
- Mar 19, 2026Signed by President; returned to House
- Mar 19, 2026Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
- Mar 19, 2026Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
Show 12 earlier actions
- Mar 18, 2026FloorReturned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling
- Mar 18, 2026FloorRead third time in full – PASSED - 32-3-0 AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward NAYS – Hart, Zito, Zuiderveld Absent and excused – None Floor Sponsor - Rabe Title apvd - to House
- Mar 16, 2026Retained on calendar
- Mar 9, 2026Read second time; filed for Third Reading
- Mar 6, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
- Mar 4, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time; referred to: Health & Welfare
- Mar 4, 2026FloorReceived from the House passed; filed for first reading
- Mar 3, 2026FloorRead Third Time in Full – PASSED - 42-25-3 AYES – Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Cannon, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Haws(Woller), Healey, Manwaring, Mathias, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Nelsen, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Rubel, Sauter, Scott, Shirts, Tanner(13), Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Alfieri, Barbieri, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cayler, Crane(13), Ehlers, Harris, Hawkins, Hill(Brown), Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Marmon, Mendive, Monks, Palmer, Price, Rasor, Shepherd, Skaug, Tanner(14), Thompson, Wisniewski Absent – Crane(12), McCann, Wheeler Floor Sponsor - Erickson Title apvd - to Senate
- Mar 2, 2026Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
- Feb 27, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
- Feb 19, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
- Feb 18, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Statutory Youth Bill of Rights
Idaho introduces a legally mandated Youth Bill of Rights for residential care facilities coupled with strict whistleblower and anti-retaliation protections.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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