---
type: "Bill"
title: "PUBLIC RECORDS ACT – Amends existing law to provide that certain records of the Department of Juvenile Corrections shall be exempt from disclosure."
description: "PUBLIC RECORDS ACT – Amends existing law to provide that certain records of the Department of Juvenile Corrections shall be exempt from disclosure."
jurisdiction: "us/states/id"
legislature: "Idaho Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "H 540"
citation: "Idaho H 540 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["CHILDREN", "GOVERNMENT", "JUVENILE CORRECTIONS", "RECORDS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 1
action_count: 18
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-01-28"
last_action: "2026-03-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/29098284-99b5-43e6-ad36-4f93b88c757c"
source_url: "https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0540/"
source_hash: "9507f68cb12d18635b7f18e9ab9d4d2cde99400d555a4979d42296c792cfe6db"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-id"]
---

# Idaho H 540 (2026) — PUBLIC RECORDS ACT – Amends existing law to provide that certain records of the Department of Juvenile Corrections shall be exempt from disclosure.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill Text** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0540.pdf)

## Votes

- Read Third Time in Full – — **69–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time in full – — **35–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- JUDICIARY, RULES AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE — primary (organization)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-01-28** Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing `introduction`
- **2026-01-29** Reported Printed and Referred to Judiciary, Rules & Administration
- **2026-02-06** Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-02-09** Read second time; Filed for Third Reading `reading-2`
- **2026-02-10** U.C. to hold place on third reading calendar one legislative day
- **2026-02-11** Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 69-0-1AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Haws, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias(Carlson), McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Rubel, Sauter, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wheeler, Wisniewski, Mr. SpeakerNAYS – NoneAbsent – PetzkeFloor Sponsor - BinghamTitle apvd - to Senate `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-12** Received from the House passed; filed for first reading
- **2026-02-12** Introduced, read first time; referred to: Judiciary & Rules `introduction`
- **2026-03-10** Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-11** Read second time; filed for Third Reading `reading-2`
- **2026-03-16** Read third time in full – PASSED - 35-0-0AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woller(Rabe), Woodward, Zito, ZuiderveldNAYS – NoneAbsent and excused – NoneFloor Sponsor - RicksTitle apvd - to House `passage`
- **2026-03-17** Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling `enrolled`
- **2026-03-17** Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate `passage`
- **2026-03-18** Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
- **2026-03-18** Signed by President; returned to House `passage`
- **2026-03-18** Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-19** Delivered to Governor at 4:22 p.m. on March 18, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-20** Reported Signed by Governor on March 19, 2026 Session Law Chapter 61 Effective: 07/01/2026 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/29098284-99b5-43e6-ad36-4f93b88c757c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Idaho legislature records).