BOISE, Idaho — So how exactly does an idea turn into law? I went looking for answers. Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle put it this way. “You’ve got to take your idea that’s in your head and you put it on paper.”
Moyle says lawmakers have quite the process from start to finish, but citizens can participate in the process. “As a citizen, they could bring an RS and go to chairman without a legislator, however, it’s a lot easier to have a legislator helping you.”
Then the idea needs to be put on paper — this is called an R S, a routing slip. Then it goes to the legislative office where it can stay for a day or two to make sure the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted and then it goes back up to committee.
For example, as we reported this week, Rep. Jaron Crane just introduced an immigration bill that is making its way through committee. Crane explains. “So the next thing is we’ll have a full hearing, we did an introduction and now it will go in front of a full committee. Then the members return it to the sponsors if they don’t like it and edits can be made. You cannot edit a bill without the amending process, which is a whole different civics lesson.”
Speaker Moyle says once a bill makes it through committee, it comes to the house floor. “Your idea is gone from an idea to paper to a bill, and now you can start selling your bill”
Moyle says before a vote is taken, debating the merits of the bill is just part of the process. “Debate needs to happen I don’t like to restrain debate but when it gets personal as a legislator you have to debate but at the end of the day you still have to be friends.”
If the bill passes on the house floor it then comes over to the Senate Chambers where Senators will go through the same process.
Then it comes back to the House and gets ready to be sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
I asked the House Speaker what happens if the Governor vetoes the bill? “If the Governor vetoes it? The Idaho Constitution requires it return to the body where it originated from, so it would come back to the House. Then there’s vote to override it and it needs two thirds of the body to override a veto.
Idaho News 6 will continue to provide “gavel to gavel” coverage of the 2025 legislative session.
