Idaho Lawmakers Reflect on 2026 Legislative Session: Tax Credits, Education Cuts, and Budget Concerns
Why It Matters
The decisions made during Idaho’s 2026 legislative session will have lasting consequences for public education funding, law enforcement resources, and how taxpayer dollars are spent on private schooling. For East Idaho families and communities, the session’s outcomes — and what legislators say they would have done differently — carry real weight heading into the May primary.
What Happened
Local lawmakers gathered Saturday evening at the College of Eastern Idaho for a town hall hosted by the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, recapping the 2026 legislative session that concluded with Sine Die on April 3 after 81 days. The event gave constituents an opportunity to ask questions about key votes, budget decisions, and legislative priorities from the session just completed.
Participating legislators included Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, R-Idaho Falls; Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls; Rep. Erin Bingham, R-Idaho Falls; freshman Rep. Mike Veile, R-Soda Springs; and Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls.
Education Funding Cuts Drew Criticism
When asked what they would do differently if the session started over, several lawmakers pointed to education budget cuts as a source of regret. Both Mickelsen and Lent said they wished they had fought harder to protect funding for the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, a program that serves rural schools across the state.
“The IDLA learning…was cut significantly this year, and that really affects our rural schools. So that’s when I would have fought a little harder on,” Lent said in remarks reported by EastIdahoNews.com.
Bingham expressed concern over cuts to the Attorney General’s office, specifically noting that an appropriations bill reduced funding in a way that affected the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force — a program focused on protecting children from online predators. Attorney General Raúl Labrador has previously raised alarms about political attacks affecting child protection efforts in Idaho.
Parental Choice Tax Credit Sparks Debate
Much of the town hall centered on House Bill 93, the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit, which allocates $50 million in tax credits for families who choose private education. The bill passed during this session and has already faced legal scrutiny, though the Idaho Supreme Court upheld the program.
Lent said the speed and manner in which HB 93 passed concerned him. He had sponsored separate legislation — Senate Bill 1025 — that he said would have accomplished similar school choice goals while including accountability measures such as background checks for teachers at private schools receiving the credits. That bill did not advance.
“We felt that there should be a security check on teachers. I mean, some very basic things,” Lent said, according to EastIdahoNews.com. He described HB 93 as a workaround that bypassed the accountability standards that come with public school funding.
Mickelsen echoed those concerns, noting that public schools face strict requirements to receive state funding while private schools receiving tax credit dollars operate under no comparable standards. Bingham said she is not opposed to school choice but emphasized the need for transparency when $50 million in public funds is involved. Some Idaho taxpayers are already seeing delays in tax refunds this year, adding sensitivity to how state tax dollars are allocated.
Veile was the most pointed in his criticism, calling out what he described as hypocrisy among staunch HB 93 supporters who had previously argued against government money flowing to private entities.
“Why would we want to go and subsidize these private industries?” Veile asked, according to EastIdahoNews.com. He also flagged a near-miss effort to amend Idaho’s constitution to enshrine parental education freedom in a way that would have blocked any future accountability requirements. That amendment fell short by only a few votes in the House.
Cook, a member of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, raised a fiscal concern: constituents often assume the $5,000 tax credit represents money they already paid in taxes, but that is not always the case. “Who’s picking up the dime for you? Well, all of us are,” Cook said. He added that in his role on the budget committee, he currently has no mechanism to track where the $50 million is being spent.
By the Numbers
- The 2026 Idaho legislative session lasted 81 days, concluding April 3
- House Bill 93 allocated $50 million in parental choice tax credits for private education
- The proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine parental education freedom failed by only a few votes in the House
- The Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, which serves rural schools statewide, saw significant funding cuts this session
- Freshman Rep. Veile described being handed 26 bills on the final days of session with roughly 90 minutes to review and vote on all of them
Zoom Out
Idaho’s debate over school choice mirrors a national trend in which Republican-led legislatures have pushed education savings accounts and tax credits as alternatives to traditional public schooling. However, the concerns raised by these East Idaho lawmakers — particularly around fiscal accountability and transparency — reflect a growing tension even within conservative circles between expanding parental choice and ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds.
The rushed end-of-session pace, described by Veile as “radiator capping,” is also not unique to Idaho. Critics across Mountain West state legislatures have raised similar concerns about bills being rushed through in the final hours without adequate review.
What’s Next
With Idaho’s May primary approaching, the 2026 session recap serves as both a political accountability moment and a preview of campaign themes. Lawmakers who expressed reservations
About the Author
