2026 Legislative Report

Radiator caps. Battles over Idaho’s state budget, agency spending, and federal tax conformity. Heated debates on immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and health care. Community activism, direct actions, and arrests.

As we reflect on the 2026 legislative session, we see it was so much more than the new laws proposed, passed, and stopped.

The ACLU of Idaho continued our work with lawmakers, community leaders, coalition partners, and directly impacted Idahoans to defend the rights of transgender Idahoans, those incarcerated by the state, our immigrant community, and for reproductive freedom. The 2026 session saw long hours spent reading legislation, poring over code and the constitution, drafting testimony, and sharing our insights on proposed bills, whether good, bad, or ugly.

The ACLU of Idaho legislative scorecard documents the voting patterns of state senators and representatives during the 2026 Idaho legislative session. Our scorecard features a handful of the most important bills we tracked during session. This is a crucial tool for Idahoans to use when engaging with lawmakers and going to the polls.

Note: Blank cells indicate the lawmaker was absent from the vote.

The 2026 Idaho legislative session brought a wave of assaults on the civil liberties of LGBTQ+ Idahoans, particularly on the transgender community. Lawmakers took aim at flags, bathrooms, and local anti-discrimination ordinances in a coordinated effort to silence communities and suppress dissent in service of an agenda targeting a vulnerable minority.

The 2026 Idaho legislative session saw over two dozen anti-immigrant bills, a 30% increase from 2025, and nearly twice the number introduced in 2024. These bills target all aspects of ordinary life: citizenship verification required to work, citizenship checks in Idaho public schools and hospitals, restrictions on drivers’ licenses, new crimes for noncitizen voting, and forced cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents. Thankfully, very few of these bills became law.

Legislation around criminal legal (CL) issues dominated our work during the 2026 session; we tracked over 60 pieces of legislation in this category — more than immigrant rights, trans justice, and reproductive freedom bills combined. While these bills varied somewhat, we identified clear patterns in our CL work; most 2026 CL bills fell into four categories:

1. Restrictions on speech and protest
2. Enhanced penalties, new crimes, and public defense
3. Expanded or restructured state power
4. Conditions of confinement

Even across these categories, most CL bills shared either a similar spirit or intent: they threatened the rights of trans Idahoans or immigrants, ignored judicial precedent, and undermined democratic processes.

Time and again, you showed up.

In doing so, you reminded us that we cannot do this work alone. The connections and relationships built, despite often hostile and horrifying circumstances, boosted our work. What’s more, your persistence and commitment to doing the work of fighting for justice is a clear, unequivocal reminder that hope is a commitment. That is, maintaining hope — even now, when justice work is daunting, overwhelming, and often feels impossible — hope is a practice and one that demands care, dedication, and love.

Next legislative session, we anticipate continued legislative “fixes,” as well as novel, extreme, and incredibly harmful proposals targeting immigrants, trans Idahoans and the broader LGBTQ+ community. Still, the brilliant organizing, grit, and heart you showed in 2026 tells us that while the years ahead will be difficult, we will not be alone in the fight. And we are so grateful to do the work alongside you. Thank you.