Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: H0658 – Cemetery District Board Vacancy Procedures
Bill Summary
House Bill 658 amends Idaho Code Section 27-110 to establish procedures for filling vacancies on cemetery maintenance district boards when the board lacks sufficient commissioners to achieve a quorum. The bill authorizes county commissioners to appoint the minimum number of commissioners necessary to restore an odd-numbered quorum when vacancies occur due to death, resignation, or other circumstances. Appointees must be qualified electors of their respective subdistricts, have lived in the cemetery maintenance district for at least one year, and be current on property tax payments.
The bill requires county commissioners to publicly solicit qualified applicants through all available communication channels and notify other jurisdictions within the district boundaries. If no qualified applicants exist from the specific subdistrict, appointments may be made from anywhere within the district. County commissioners must implement the solicitation process within one month and make appointments within three months. During any period when a cemetery board lacks an odd-numbered quorum, county commissioners temporarily assume the board’s duties, including paying employees, performing urgent maintenance, and handling necessary business using district funds.
Overall Assessment
This bill creates administrative procedures to prevent cemetery maintenance districts from becoming non-functional due to board vacancies. It empowers county commissioners to fill vacancies and temporarily manage district operations when boards lack quorum, ensuring cemetery employees continue to be paid and maintenance continues. The bill operates entirely within the narrow domain of local cemetery district governance and does not engage with broader policy areas.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT (0)
The bill establishes administrative procedures for filling cemetery board vacancies and temporarily assigns county commissioners to manage district operations when boards lack quorum. While it involves local government operations, it does not address fiscal responsibility, taxation policy, government spending limits, or constitutional obligations. The bill operates within a narrow administrative context unrelated to the broader principles of responsible government outlined in this metric.
ARTICLE II. CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT (0)
The bill requires county commissioners to solicit qualified applicants through public communication channels and establishes qualifications for appointees to be qualified electors. However, it does not address citizen involvement in government as defined by this metric, which focuses on constitutional education, election integrity, transparency, and citizen participation in governance. The bill deals with appointment procedures for a specific type of local board rather than broader citizen engagement principles.
ARTICLE III. EDUCATION (0)
This bill concerns cemetery maintenance district governance and contains no provisions related to education policy, curriculum, parental rights in education, school funding, or educational standards. The subject matter operates in an entirely different policy domain from education.
ARTICLE IV. AGRICULTURE (0)
The bill addresses cemetery maintenance district board vacancies and has no connection to agricultural education, trade, water rights for agriculture, family farms, or agricultural markets. Cemetery district governance does not intersect with agricultural policy.
ARTICLE V. WATER (0)
This bill establishes procedures for filling cemetery board vacancies and does not address water rights, inter-basin transfers, prior appropriation doctrine, river systems, flow augmentation, or dam policy. The bill operates outside the domain of water resource management.
ARTICLE VI. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT (0)
The bill concerns administrative procedures for cemetery district boards and does not address environmental stewardship, federal environmental policy, natural resource utilization, wilderness areas, or multiple-use principles. Cemetery governance is unrelated to natural resource and environmental policy.
ARTICLE VII. ENERGY (0)
This bill addresses cemetery maintenance district governance and contains no provisions related to energy independence, energy resource development, oil exploration, electrical rates, hydroelectric power, or energy research. The subject matter is unrelated to energy policy.
ARTICLE VIII. IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORIES (0)
The bill establishes procedures for filling cemetery board vacancies and has no connection to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear power research, technology development, or technology transfer. Cemetery district administration does not intersect with INL operations or policy.
ARTICLE IX. PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS (0)
While the bill includes a qualification that appointees must be current on property tax payments, this is a personal eligibility requirement for board service rather than a regulation affecting property rights. The bill does not address property takings, regulatory burdens on property owners, zoning, or other property rights issues defined in this metric.
ARTICLE X. STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS (0)
This bill concerns cemetery maintenance district board procedures and does not address federal land ownership, state management of lands, or land transfer issues. The subject matter operates outside the domain of state and federal land policy.
ARTICLE XI. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (0)
The bill establishes procedures for filling cemetery board vacancies and has no connection to fish and game management, hunting and fishing access, predator control, or wildlife policy. Cemetery district governance does not intersect with wildlife management.
ARTICLE XII. ECONOMY (0)
This bill addresses administrative procedures for cemetery district boards and does not address commerce and industry, small business support, labor policy, or transportation infrastructure. The narrow focus on cemetery board vacancies does not engage with broader economic policy principles.
ARTICLE XIII. HEALTH AND WELFARE (0)
The bill concerns cemetery maintenance district governance and does not address healthcare delivery, the Affordable Care Act, health savings accounts, conscience clauses, or child support. Cemetery board procedures are unrelated to health and welfare policy.
ARTICLE XIV. AMERICAN FAMILY (0)
This bill establishes procedures for filling cemetery board vacancies and does not address traditional family values, government support for families, traditional marriage, right to life issues, or children's welfare. The subject matter is unrelated to family policy.
ARTICLE XV. OLDER AMERICANS (0)
The bill addresses cemetery maintenance district board procedures and does not contain provisions supporting older Americans or addressing policies that penalize them for working. Cemetery district governance does not intersect with policies affecting older Americans.
ARTICLE XVI. LAW AND ORDER WITH JUSTICE (0)
This bill concerns administrative appointments to cemetery boards and does not address presumption of innocence, criminal punishment, gun rights, death penalty, drug policy, incarceration, juvenile justice, or state sovereignty in law enforcement. The subject matter is unrelated to criminal justice policy.
ARTICLE XVII. NATIONAL DEFENSE – SECURING THE BORDER (0)
The bill establishes procedures for filling cemetery board vacancies and has no connection to military strength, veterans' affairs, missile defense, military bases, National Guard, border security, terrorism, or war powers. Cemetery district governance does not intersect with national defense or border security.
ARTICLE XVIII. ELECTION OF JUDGES AND IDAHO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES (0)
This bill addresses appointment procedures for cemetery maintenance district boards, not judicial elections or selection. The bill does not address constitutional interpretation principles, textualism, originalism, or the judicial selection process. Cemetery board appointments operate in a different governance context from judicial selection.
ARTICLE XIX. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY (0)
The bill concerns cemetery maintenance district board procedures and does not address religious freedom, free exercise of religion, or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Cemetery district governance does not intersect with religious liberty policy.