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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho House Bill 625 creates a magistrate court complaint process for public records denials and revises trade secret disclosure rules
Last action · February 12, 2026: Reported Printed and Referred to Local Government
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What This Bill Proposed
PUBLIC RECORDS ACT – Amends existing law to provide for the filing of a complaint by a person aggrieved and to revise provisions regarding denial of a request for disclosure.
Individuals seeking denied public records must now pay a mandatory $100 filing fee and navigate specific magistrate court procedures within 90 days, while entities claiming s on environmental documents face strict substantiation deadlines.
- Idaho's Public Records Act governs the public's right to inspect and copy state and local government records. context
- House Bill 625 was introduced by the House Local Government Committee during the Second Regular Session of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Persons denied public records
Individuals face a new magistrate court complaint option with a 90-day deadline and a non-refundable $100 filing fee.
Public agencies
Agencies must respond to magistrate court complaints within 14 days and preserve disputed records through appeal periods.
Department of Environmental Quality
The department must adhere to strict working-day deadlines for trade secret substantiation requests and determinations.
Key Facts
- A person aggrieved by a public records denial may file a complaint in magistrate court to initiate a mandamus action within 90 calendar days.
- The magistrate court complaint requires a $100 non-refundable filing fee distributed to the county district court fund.
- The public agency must file a response within 14 days of receiving the complaint, and the judge must issue a decision within 14 days.
- The traditional district court petition remedy remains available within 180 calendar days from the mailing of a denial or initial judicial decision.
Show all 8 facts
- When records are claimed as exempt under specific trade secret provisions, the petitioner must name and serve the person or entity that provided the documents.
- The Department of Environmental Quality must issue a written request for trade secret substantiation within 3 working days of a disclosure request.
- Persons claiming trade secret protection must respond to substantiation requests within 10 working days or have the information disclosed.
- The act declares an emergency with an effective date of July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a complaint if a public agency denies my records request?
What is the filing fee for the new magistrate court public records complaint?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 12, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Local Government
- Feb 11, 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.
Introduction of Magistrate Court Tier for Public Records
The bill creates an expedited magistrate court review process alongside the traditional district court mandamus and petition routes.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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