Advocacy in Action
This page is your home for all things legislative and advocacy related. We have an update from our lobbyist at the Capitol each week, summaries of important bills, and then steps for you to get involved!
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2025 Bill Summaries
Under the Golden Dome
Week 2 is a wrap. The frenetic pace of the first week continues as legislators work toward the first funnel deadline on Feb. 20. As a reminder, the first funnel deadline requires a bill to pass a committee in one chamber to remain alive. This year is a short session (100 days), so all deadlines are compressed.
Will session end on April 20, the last day that legislators receive per diem for daily expenses? It seems unlikely. The problem—pipelines and property taxes. While the House quickly passed their version to address the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, the Senate is proposing a very different approach. Reconciling the two approaches won’t be easy, and the differences are likely to linger as session progresses.
Turning our attention to property taxes, there are three bills, and there is very little consensus between the three. IASB is working on a complete analysis which will be available next week. In the meantime, here’s a synopsis of the bills and the challenges in finding consensus:
Senate bill:
- Phases out the rollback.
Lowers levy rates.
Places a 2% cap (with opportunities to exceed) on city and county revenue generated from levies.
Picks up the additional levy rate property taxes.
Puts extreme limits on the ability to levy for the management fund.
Eliminates property taxes on properties owned in full by those 60 and older
The House bill and the governor’s bill do not include the above provisions.
House bill:
- Hard cap of 2% on revenues collected from city and county property tax revenue.
$25,000 exemption on home valuation, but only on city and county property taxes, not schools.
Requires any revenue bond approved by the board to go to a vote and pass by 60%
Neither the Senate bill or the governor’s bill include the SAVE language. The hard cap of 2% for cities and counties is the same in the House and the governor’s bills.
Governor’s bill:
Hard cap of 2% on revenues collected from city and county property tax revenue.
Freezes property taxes for 65+ on homes valued at $350,000 or less.
Raises the amount of money diverted from SAVE from the current amount of approximately 7% to 30% by 2030.
Under the Golden Dome Video
Advocacy Action of the Week
As the legislative session kicks into high gear, there are plenty of bills that get introduced every week that can sometimes pull us into the weeds. While some of those deserve our attention, it’s important to share your district’s story with your legislators. You can:
Invite them to your schools – they're usually back in their districts on Fridays.
Share a recent success story, big or small.
Provide examples of what you do and don’t need from the legislature.
SAVE Revenue Loss Tool
Governor Reynolds has released her property tax proposal. The bill is a fairly comprehensive change to the system and includes provisions related to school districts, most notably the amount of SAVE dollars that will be diverted to property tax relief through the Property Tax Equity and Relief Fund (PTER). Her proposal intends to increase the amount of SAVE revenue going to PTER to 30% by 2030. For comparison, 7% of SAVE revenue currently goes into PTER. To see the impact of this proposed legislation on your district, use our new SAVE Revenue Loss Tool.
Bills on the Move
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