Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: H0971 – AG Office Internet Crimes Against Children Funding
Bill Summary
House Bill 971 appropriates $880,000 from Idaho’s Consumer Protection Fund to the Office of the Attorney General for personnel costs across two fiscal years. The appropriation is divided between State Legal Services ($817,000) and the Internet Crimes Against Children program ($63,000) for both FY2026 (July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026) and FY2027 (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027). The bill’s only new additions to existing law are the $63,000 line items for the Internet Crimes Against Children program in each fiscal year.
The bill declares an emergency for the FY2026 provisions (Sections 3 and 4), making them effective immediately upon passage and approval, while the FY2027 provisions (Sections 1 and 2) take effect July 1, 2026. Funding is drawn from the Consumer Protection Fund, which is generated through consumer protection enforcement activities rather than general tax revenue.
The practical effect is that the Attorney General’s office receives dedicated personnel funding to staff the Internet Crimes Against Children program for two consecutive fiscal years, ensuring continuity of operations for investigators and prosecutors working online child exploitation cases.
Overall Assessment
This bill’s most consequential action is directing $63,000 per fiscal year — $126,000 total — from the Consumer Protection Fund to staff Idaho’s Internet Crimes Against Children program for FY2026 and FY2027. Children and families in Idaho benefit directly, as this funding sustains the personnel who investigate and prosecute online predators and child exploitation crimes. The emergency declaration for the FY2026 appropriation ensures there is no gap in program staffing while the legislature acts.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. Responsibility in Government (0)
The bill draws from the Consumer Protection Fund — a dedicated, non-general-fund revenue source — rather than expanding general appropriations or creating new tax burdens. The $63,000 addition is a targeted personnel appropriation with a designated funding source and a defined programmatic purpose, consistent with routine fiscal management.
ARTICLE II. Citizen Involvement in Government (0)
The bill is a narrow appropriations measure for Attorney General personnel costs. It makes no changes to voting processes, public participation mechanisms, government transparency requirements, or any other aspect of citizen engagement with government.
ARTICLE III. Education (0)
The bill funds Attorney General personnel for legal services and internet crimes enforcement. It has no bearing on school curricula, parental rights in education, school funding formulas, or any other education policy matter.
ARTICLE IV. Agriculture (0)
The bill is confined to Attorney General office appropriations and has no connection to agricultural policy, farming operations, commodity markets, or water rights for agricultural use.
ARTICLE V. Water (0)
The bill appropriates funds for Attorney General personnel in legal services and internet crimes programs. It contains no provisions related to water rights, water management, or water resource policy.
ARTICLE VI. Natural Resources and Environment (0)
The bill's scope is limited to personnel funding for the Attorney General's office. It makes no changes to natural resource management, environmental regulation, or conservation policy.
ARTICLE VII. Energy (0)
The bill funds Attorney General personnel costs and has no connection to energy production, energy independence, utility regulation, or any energy policy domain.
ARTICLE VIII. Idaho National Laboratories (0)
The bill is an Attorney General appropriations measure with no reference to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear research, or technology development programs associated with the lab.
ARTICLE IX. Private Property Rights (0)
The bill makes no changes to property rights law, eminent domain procedures, or regulatory takings protections. It is a personnel funding measure for the Attorney General's office.
ARTICLE X. State and Federal Lands (0)
The bill contains no provisions addressing state or federal land ownership, management authority, or land transfer policy. Its scope is limited to Attorney General personnel appropriations.
ARTICLE XI. Wildlife Management (0)
The bill funds Attorney General personnel for legal services and internet crimes enforcement. It has no connection to fish and game management, hunting and fishing regulations, or predator control policy.
ARTICLE XII. Economy (0)
The bill appropriates personnel funds for the Attorney General's office from the Consumer Protection Fund. While consumer protection enforcement has indirect economic effects, the bill's specific additions — $63,000 for Internet Crimes Against Children — have no direct bearing on business regulation, labor policy, or economic development.
ARTICLE XIII. Health and Welfare (0)
The bill funds Attorney General personnel costs and makes no changes to healthcare delivery, health insurance regulation, Medicaid, or welfare program administration.
ARTICLE XIV. American Family (1)
Sections 1 and 3 each add $63,000 specifically for the Internet Crimes Against Children program, funding the personnel who investigate and prosecute online predators targeting minors. This directly supports the safety of children and families by ensuring the Attorney General's office has staffed capacity to pursue internet-based child exploitation cases across both FY2026 and FY2027.
ARTICLE XV. Older Americans (0)
The bill is a personnel appropriations measure for the Attorney General's office focused on legal services and internet crimes against children. It contains no provisions affecting older Idahoans, senior services, or retirement-related policy.
ARTICLE XVI. Law and Order with Justice (0)
The $63,000 added in Sections 1 and 3 funds personnel for the Internet Crimes Against Children program, which supports prosecution of online child exploitation. While this is a law enforcement function, the bill's change is a narrow personnel appropriation rather than a substantive reform to criminal justice policy, sentencing, or law enforcement authority.
ARTICLE XVII. National Defense - Securing the Border (0)
The bill funds Attorney General personnel for state legal services and internet crimes enforcement. It has no connection to national defense, border security, military readiness, or immigration enforcement.
ARTICLE XVIII. Election of Judges and Idaho Supreme Court Justices (0)
The bill is an appropriations measure for the Attorney General's office and makes no changes to judicial selection processes, court structure, or constitutional interpretation standards.
ARTICLE XIX. Religious Liberty (0)
The bill funds Attorney General personnel costs and has no bearing on religious freedom protections, free exercise rights, or government interference with religious practice or institutions.