Legislative Policies

● Continued operation of Veterans Administration hospitals and full eligibility for
veterans’ services.
● Policies that address veteran homelessness, mental health, and access to care.
● Protection of religious freedoms and First Amendment rights.
● Drug testing requirements for welfare eligibility and improved processes for
identifying non-custodial parents.
● Programs that reinforce strong families, community-based problem solving, and
local civic engagement.

● Civic education and encouraging all citizens to vote.
● Proof of citizenship at registration and identification for absentee and in-person
voting.
● English-only election ballots and instructions.
● Balanced budgets, responsible government spending, and reasonable sunset
provisions on federal mandates.
● Immediate federal assistance when a state declares a disaster.
● Transparent census data, including a separate category for farm families.

● Fair wages, safe workplaces, and the preservation of public and private pension
benefits.
● Streamlined agricultural guest worker programs.
● Protection of constitutional rights, private property rights, and limits on eminent
domain for private commercial uses.
● Oversight of regulatory agencies and periodic review of federal mandates.
● Increased cybersecurity measures to protect personal and financial data.
● Expanded access to rural and workforce housing.
● The Idaho State Grange opposes the use of paid signature gatherers for ballot
initiatives and supports legislative action prohibiting the practice.

● Federal and state investment in repairing and upgrading broadband, transportation,
water systems, public safety facilities, and schools.
● Standardized criteria for Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) nationwide.
● Improved visibility and safety measures for farm equipment, school buses, cyclists,
and pedestrians.
● Post fuel tax amounts on all fuel pumps.

The Idaho State Grange recognizes that rural healthcare is at a breaking point.
● Statewide availability of health insurance in every Idaho county, ensuring equal
access for rural families.
● Preservation of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program
(CHIP).
● Strengthening rural hospitals and expanding telehealth through broadband
investment.
● Protection of the 340B program as originally intended—to support underserved
communities.
● Opposition to tariffs on prescription drugs, which would increase costs and disrupt
supply chains.
● Greater transparency in Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) practices.
● Improved mental health services for rural residents, seniors, veterans, and youth.

● Access to High-Quality Education
● Full funding for rural schools and equal access to resources for all Idaho public
school students.
● Policies that expand rural broadband-enabled learning.
● Technical education, agricultural education, and workforce development initiatives.
● Support for rural teachers and rural colleges that provide pathways for students to
return to their communities.
● School Nutrition and Youth Well-Being
● Funding for free meals for Idaho K-12 students, recognizing the link between
nutrition and academic success.
● National advocacy for free school meals for all American students.
● Including kindergarten students in official headcounts for USDA food programs.
● School Infrastructure
● Authorization of impact fees for school districts to ensure that growth helps pay for
growth, reducing dependence on property taxes and bonds.

Agriculture and Food Production are central to Idaho’s heritage and economy.
• Legislation to return regulation of intrastate agricultural products to the States while
reserving interstate regulation for the USDA.
• Small-scale agriculture, home-based food businesses, and direct-to-consumer
sales.
• Science-based, accurate labeling of food products, including:
o GMOs and soy-based fillers in meat
o Preservatives and stabilizers
o Lab-grown or cell-cultured meat products
• Strong and transparent food safety systems that support both small producers and
consumers.

● Delisting the Grizzly Bear from the Endangered Species Act due to demonstrated
population recovery and escalating conflicts with rural communities, livestock
producers, and recreational users.

● Protection of farmland from unplanned development and conversion to non-
agricultural uses.
● Policies that preserve family farms and oppose large-scale land acquisition that
undermines agricultural viability.
● Rural Economic Stability
● Support for value-added agriculture, local processing capacity (including mobile
slaughter units), and strong rural markets.
● Opposition to converting prime farmland for large-scale ground-mounted solar
installations.

● Responsible, balanced stewardship of land, water, forests, and rangeland.
● Active wildfire mitigation: clearing brush, maintaining spillways, and adopting
common-sense risk reduction strategies.
● Science-based environmental standards with flexibility for traditional land uses.
● Transparent disclosure of environmental testing and government actions affecting
natural resource industries.
● Recycling initiatives that repurpose public landfill waste, including statewide
partnerships among nonprofits, private industry, and government agencies.
● Federal and state conservation programs that support farmers and ranchers without
imposing unfunded mandates.