Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: S1360 – Project Choice Fee Increase: $3 to $8
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 1360 raises the Project Choice program fee collected alongside vehicle registration fees from $3.00 to $8.00, effective July 1, 2026. This fee is deposited into the Idaho Law Enforcement Fund and used exclusively to fund a career ladder and salaries for Idaho State Police commissioned officers, dispatch personnel, and forensic personnel.
The bill also adds a new fiscal management provision: at the start of each fiscal year, any Project Choice fee money sitting in the Idaho Law Enforcement Fund that exceeds 200% of that year’s appropriation must be transferred to the state general fund. This prevents the fund from accumulating large surpluses beyond what is needed for state police compensation purposes.
The bill is declared an emergency measure, taking effect July 1, 2026, and includes a standard severability clause.
Overall Assessment
Every Idaho vehicle owner will pay $5 more per registration under this bill’s fee increase from $3.00 to $8.00, a 167% increase in the Project Choice fee. While the revenue supports Idaho State Police staffing and compensation, the mandatory fee increase on all registered vehicle owners conflicts with the principle of keeping government costs low on citizens. The bill’s surplus transfer provision adds a modest fiscal discipline mechanism by routing excess fund balances back to the general fund rather than allowing indefinite accumulation.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT (-1)
Section 1 raises the Project Choice program fee from $3.00 to $8.00 — a 167% increase — applied to every vehicle registration in Idaho. This mandatory fee increase directly contradicts the principle of keeping taxes and fees on citizens low, imposing a greater financial burden on all Idaho vehicle owners to fund state government operations.
ARTICLE II. CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT (0)
This bill modifies vehicle registration fee amounts and establishes a fund surplus transfer mechanism. It has no bearing on elections, voting procedures, citizen participation in government, or any related topic.
ARTICLE III. EDUCATION (0)
The bill's changes are limited to a vehicle registration fee increase and law enforcement fund management. It has no connection to education policy, school funding, curriculum, or parental rights.
ARTICLE IV. AGRICULTURE (0)
The bill addresses vehicle registration fees and state police funding exclusively. It has no connection to agriculture, farming, ranching, water law, or agricultural markets.
ARTICLE V. WATER (0)
The bill's provisions concern vehicle fees and law enforcement fund management. It has no connection to water rights, water appropriation, inter-basin transfers, or any water policy matter.
ARTICLE VI. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT (0)
The bill makes no changes related to natural resources, environmental regulation, wilderness, or land stewardship. Its scope is limited to a vehicle registration fee and fund transfer rule.
ARTICLE VII. ENERGY (0)
The bill concerns vehicle registration fees and Idaho State Police funding. It has no connection to energy policy, energy independence, or any energy-related provision.
ARTICLE VIII. IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORIES (0)
The bill makes no reference to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear technology, or research programs. Its scope is limited to state police fee funding.
ARTICLE IX. PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS (0)
The bill's changes involve a vehicle registration fee increase and a fund surplus transfer rule. It has no connection to property rights, eminent domain, or takings.
ARTICLE X. STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS (0)
The bill addresses vehicle registration fees and law enforcement fund management. It has no connection to state or federal land ownership, management, or transfer.
ARTICLE XI. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (0)
The bill concerns vehicle registration fees and Idaho State Police compensation funding. It has no connection to wildlife management, hunting, fishing, or predator control.
ARTICLE XII. ECONOMY (0)
While the $5 per-registration fee increase does impose a small additional cost on vehicle owners and businesses with fleets, the bill's primary function is funding a specific state police compensation program rather than regulating commerce, industry, or labor markets. The economic impact is too narrow and indirect to constitute a meaningful policy effect on Idaho's broader economy.
ARTICLE XIII. HEALTH AND WELFARE (0)
The bill modifies a vehicle registration fee and a law enforcement fund transfer rule. It has no connection to healthcare, health insurance, patient rights, or welfare programs.
ARTICLE XIV. AMERICAN FAMILY (0)
The bill's changes are limited to vehicle fees and state police funding mechanisms. It has no connection to family policy, marriage, right to life, or child welfare.
ARTICLE XV. OLDER AMERICANS (0)
The bill addresses vehicle registration fees and law enforcement fund management. It has no connection to programs, services, or policies affecting older Idahoans.
ARTICLE XVI. LAW AND ORDER WITH JUSTICE (0)
Although the bill funds Idaho State Police through the Project Choice fee increase, the law and order metric centers on criminal justice policy — gun rights, sentencing, drug enforcement, juvenile justice, and incarceration. Adjusting the funding mechanism for state police salaries does not constitute a policy change in any of those areas.
ARTICLE XVII. NATIONAL DEFENSE – SECURING THE BORDER (0)
The bill concerns state vehicle registration fees and Idaho State Police compensation. It has no connection to national defense, border security, military affairs, or veterans' issues.
ARTICLE XVIII. ELECTION OF JUDGES AND IDAHO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES (0)
The bill makes no changes related to judicial elections, judicial appointments, or constitutional interpretation. Its scope is limited to a vehicle fee and fund management rule.
ARTICLE XIX. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY (0)
The bill addresses vehicle registration fees and law enforcement fund management. It has no connection to religious liberty, free exercise of religion, or conscience protections.