Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: H0914 – DOPL Rulemaking Moratorium and Fee Freeze 2026
Bill Summary
House Bill 914 imposes a five-year freeze on the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), prohibiting the agency, its administrator, and all boards and commissions within it from creating any new administrative rules or raising any occupational licensing fees from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. During this period, the only rulemaking activity permitted is the repeal of existing regulations or the removal of existing regulatory burdens — the agency can only shrink its rulebook, not expand it.
The bill also requires DOPL to submit proposed legislation to the Legislative Services Office by December 31, 2026, that would convert all existing DOPL administrative rule chapters shorter than eight pages directly into Idaho statute. This migration shifts regulatory authority from the executive branch agency to the legislature, making those rules subject to the full legislative process for any future changes.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, under an emergency declaration, ensuring the moratorium begins immediately at the start of the next fiscal year.
Overall Assessment
This bill directly benefits Idaho workers and businesses subject to occupational licensing by locking in current fee levels and preventing new regulatory requirements for five years. Licensed professionals — from contractors to cosmetologists — cannot face new compliance burdens or fee increases from DOPL through 2031. The requirement to migrate short rule chapters into statute shifts ongoing oversight of those rules from an executive agency to the legislature, increasing democratic accountability over occupational licensing standards.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. Responsibility in Government (1)
Section 67-2616 directly curtails executive agency rulemaking power by prohibiting DOPL from expanding its regulatory footprint for five years, limiting government growth at the administrative level. Section 67-2617 further shifts rule-setting authority from an executive agency to the legislature by requiring short rule chapters to be converted into statute, ensuring elected representatives — not appointed administrators — control those standards going forward.
ARTICLE II. Citizen Involvement in Government (0)
The bill governs internal administrative rulemaking authority and fee-setting powers of a state licensing agency. It does not address elections, voting, citizen participation in the political process, or public engagement mechanisms.
ARTICLE III. Education (0)
The bill is limited to occupational and professional licensing regulation within DOPL. It has no provisions affecting schools, curriculum, parental rights in education, or education funding.
ARTICLE IV. Agriculture (0)
The bill addresses administrative rulemaking and fee authority for occupational licensing. It contains no provisions related to farming, ranching, agricultural markets, or water access for agricultural use.
ARTICLE V. Water (0)
The bill is confined to occupational licensing administration and has no connection to water rights, water management, or water policy of any kind.
ARTICLE VI. Natural Resources and Environment (0)
The bill governs DOPL's rulemaking and fee authority and contains no provisions touching natural resource management, environmental regulation, or land use policy.
ARTICLE VII. Energy (0)
The bill is limited to occupational licensing administration and contains no provisions related to energy production, energy independence, utility rates, or energy infrastructure.
ARTICLE VIII. Idaho National Laboratories (0)
The bill addresses DOPL rulemaking and fees and has no connection to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear research, or energy technology development.
ARTICLE IX. Private Property Rights (0)
The bill governs administrative rulemaking authority within an occupational licensing agency. It does not address property ownership, eminent domain, takings, or land use regulations affecting private property.
ARTICLE X. State and Federal Lands (0)
The bill is confined to occupational licensing administration and contains no provisions related to state or federal land ownership, management, or transfer.
ARTICLE XI. Wildlife Management (0)
The bill addresses DOPL rulemaking and fee authority and has no connection to wildlife management, hunting and fishing regulations, or predator control policy.
ARTICLE XII. Economy (1)
Section 67-2616(1) prevents DOPL from imposing new compliance costs on licensed businesses and workers for five years, directly reducing the regulatory burden on Idaho's licensed workforce and the small businesses that employ them. Section 67-2616(2) goes further by permitting rulemaking only to repeal existing regulations, creating a one-way ratchet toward a lighter regulatory environment during the moratorium period.
ARTICLE XIII. Health and Welfare (0)
Although DOPL licenses some health-related professions, the bill is a general administrative constraint on rulemaking and fees across all licensed occupations. It does not address healthcare delivery, health insurance access, patient protections, or welfare program policy.
ARTICLE XIV. American Family (0)
The bill addresses occupational licensing administration and contains no provisions related to family policy, parental rights, marriage, or the protection of children.
ARTICLE XV. Older Americans (0)
The bill governs DOPL rulemaking and fee authority and does not contain provisions specifically affecting older Idahoans, retirement security, or senior services.
ARTICLE XVI. Law and Order with Justice (0)
The bill is limited to administrative rulemaking and fee-setting within an occupational licensing agency. It has no provisions related to criminal justice, law enforcement, firearms, or sentencing policy.
ARTICLE XVII. National Defense - Securing the Border (0)
The bill addresses DOPL rulemaking and fees and contains no provisions related to national defense, military affairs, border security, or veterans' services.
ARTICLE XVIII. Election of Judges and Idaho Supreme Court Justices (0)
The bill governs administrative rulemaking authority within a state licensing agency and has no connection to judicial selection, judicial elections, or constitutional interpretation.
ARTICLE XIX. Religious Liberty (0)
The bill addresses occupational licensing administration and contains no provisions related to religious freedom, conscience protections, or the free exercise of religion.