Bill > S1054

This bill amends existing Idaho law regarding the Idaho Bean Commission by making several key changes. First, it revises the composition and appointment process for the commission, maintaining eight members appointed by the governor, with specific requirements about their professional backgrounds in bean production, processing, and shipping. The bill clarifies that commissioners will now serve four-year terms, with a simple majority constituting a quorum for conducting business. The legislation also updates definitions related to beans, including expanding the definition to explicitly include garden beans, and modifies terminology from "act" to "chapter" throughout the document. A significant change involves the tax levy on beans, which is now adjusted to range between 16 and 24 cents per hundredweight (a unit of measurement equal to 100 pounds), compared to the previous fixed rate of 12 cents. The bill also modifies how the tax is divided between dealers/shippers and growers, with the responsible party now potentially paying either half or the full tax depending on their role in handling the beans. Importantly, the bill includes a provision allowing the commission to decide on tax adjustments through a simple majority vote, and it is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, with an emergency clause declared to emphasize its immediate importance to the Idaho bean industry.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Justice

Agricultural Affairs Committee (S)

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/S1054/