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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho Senate Bill 1274 Removes Obsolete Employment Provisions and Updates Transferred Public Defender Vacation Benefits
Last action · March 18, 2026: Signed by Governor on 03/17/26 Session Law Chapter 43 Effective: 07/01/2026
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What This Bill Does
Transferred public defender employees hired before January 1, 2025, are allowed to secure up to 40 hours of unused paid time off as vacation time, while state employment statutes are updated to remove obsolete language effective July 1, 2026.
Former county public defender staff transitioning to the state public defender system gain specific credited state service and vacation time balances starting July 1, 2026, backed by financial deposits from their former employing counties.
- The Idaho Legislature enacted comprehensive updates to state employment statutes to align personnel rules across executive, judicial, and legislative branches. context
- The Office of the State Public Defender was established to transition indigent defense services from county-level administration to a statewide system. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
State Employees
State employees are subject to updated statutory provisions regarding vacation time accrual, overtime compensation limits, and standardized departmental problem-solving procedures.
Public Defender Employees
Former county public defender staff hired by the state public defender prior to January 1, 2025, receive specific service credit provisions and options to secure up to 40 hours of unused paid time off.
County Offices
Prior employing counties of transferred public defender staff must request and deposit funds corresponding to secured and credited vacation hours into the state public defense fund.
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
What happens to unused paid time off for former county public defender employees hired by the state?
How are executive state employees affected regarding accumulated compensatory time?
When does this legislation take effect?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
17 actions- Mar 18, 2026EnrolledSigned by Governor on 03/17/26 Session Law Chapter 43 Effective: 07/01/2026
- Mar 17, 2026Reported delivered to Governor at 4:10 p.m. on 03/16/26
- Mar 16, 2026Reported signed by the Speaker & ordered delivered to Governor
- Mar 16, 2026Received from Senate; Signed by Speaker; Returned to Senate
- Mar 13, 2026Reported enrolled; signed by President; to House for signature of Speaker
- Mar 12, 2026CommitteeReturned From House Passed; referred to enrolling
Show 11 earlier actions
- Mar 12, 2026FloorRead Third Time in Full – PASSED - 67-0-3 AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson(Larsen), Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Haws, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Rubel, Sauter, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wheeler, Wisniewski, Mr. Speaker NAYS – None Absent – Church, Dygert, Skaug Floor Sponsor - Ehlers Title apvd - to Senate
- Mar 11, 2026U.C. to hold place on third reading calendar one legislative day
- Mar 10, 2026Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
- Mar 9, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
- Mar 4, 2026IntroducedRead First Time, Referred to Commerce & Human Resources
- Mar 4, 2026Received from the Senate, Filed for First Reading
- Mar 3, 2026FloorRead third time in full – PASSED - 35-0-0 AYES – Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Bruner(Adams), Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward, Zito, Zuiderveld NAYS – None Absent and excused – None Floor Sponsor - Lakey Title apvd - to House
- Feb 26, 2026Read second time; filed for Third Reading
- Feb 25, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
- Feb 12, 2026CommitteeReported Printed; referred to Commerce & Human Resources
- Feb 11, 2026IntroducedIntroduced; read first time; referred to JR 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.
Public Defender Staff Benefit Integration
The legislation systematically incorporates former county public defender employees into the state personnel and retirement frameworks following the creation of the office of the state public defender.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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