Bill Description: House Bill 516 (H516) would prohibit school districts and public charter schools from using or authorizing the use of taxpayer funds to support teachers unions.
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NOTE: H516 was initially written to remove an existing loophole in state statute permitting “age appropriate” instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity.” The legislation was amended to remove that provision and instead include the core provisions of House Bill 601 and House Bill 745 from earlier in the 2026 legislation session, House Bill 98 from the 2025 legislative session, and House Bill 602 from the 2024 legislative session.
Does it increase government spending (for objectionable purposes) or debt? Conversely, does it decrease government spending or debt?
Public sector unions seek to have the government serve its own interest at the expense of the common good. They lobby for increased government spending through teacher salaries; they stem efforts to remove employees for malperformance; they hinder government efficiency, and they leverage their funds for political activism. It is improper for the government to subsidize activities that are directly opposed to the public interest and thus also improper to subsidize public sector unions.
In recognition of this fact, House Bill 516 would create a new section of Idaho Code, 33-1277, that would prohibit school districts and charter schools from using or authorizing the use of “taxpayer funds to support teachers union” by:
- Automatic deduction of union dues, fees, assessments, or fines;
- Increasing compensation with the intent that the additional pay be used for union fees, dues, etc;
- Requiring employees, to meet, communicate, listen to, or otherwise interact with a teachers union or its affiliate;
- Distributing communications or membership solicitations on behalf of a teachers union or its affiliate;
- Contributing funds to, or expending funds on behalf of, a teachers union or its affiliate.
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Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?
H516 provides that any agreement between a teachers union and public school district or charter school that violates the provisions of 33-1277 “shall be null and void…and of no legal force or effect.”
The bill will also end the practice of teachers’ unions receiving more access to “personal or contact information of a professional employee to a teachers union or its affiliate” than the public official is required to disclose under state law.
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To further ensure that the provisions of this act are complied with, H516 establishes a civil penalty of up to $250 for a first offence, $1,500 for a second offence, and up to $2,500 for a third or subsequent offence. The attorney general and “appropriate country prosecutor” is also empowered to investigate any alleged complaints.
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