Idaho lawmakers may soon face limits on how many bills they can request after a record-breaking 2025 legislative session. Senator Jim Guthrie, a Republican from McCammon, introduced a resolution this week aimed at reducing strain on the Idaho Legislature’s research arm.
The Senate State Affairs Committee introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 114 on Friday. The resolution would cap lawmakers’ requests to the Legislative Services Office (LSO) at 10 completed pieces of draft legislation per year. Guthrie, who chairs the committee, said the proposal was not requested by the LSO but aims to address rising demands on legislative staff.
Legislative activity in Idaho has increased steadily in recent years. According to the 2025 Idaho Sine Die report, the number of bills prepared by LSO was:
- 2025: 1,378
- 2024: 1,234
- 2023: 1,155
- 2022: 1,046
- 2021: 1,226
- 2020: 1,053
The resolution notes that the rising number of bills “has ascended to problematic levels,” creating “logjams for bill drafters” and placing “unreasonable expectations on that critical human resource.”
If approved, the resolution would require two-thirds support in both the Idaho House and Senate. It would establish a joint rule for both chambers that limits draft legislation requests while allowing certain exceptions.
Under the proposed rule, each legislator could request a maximum of 25 draft bills and 10 completed routing slips (RS) per year, running from July 1 to June 30. Routing slips are the final form of draft legislation before official introduction and public release. Bills revised during the drafting process would count as one draft piece.
Exceptions would include budget bills, amendments, trailer bills, legislation from interim committees, and cases where legislative leaders grant additional requests.
The resolution comes after an unusually busy start to the current legislative session. During the first week, the LSO prepared 179 draft pieces of legislation—more than in any first week since 2021—while only eight bills were officially introduced.
Senator Guthrie said the limit is intended to prevent overwhelming the Legislative Services Office, ensuring staff can manage workloads effectively while still supporting lawmakers’ work.
The bill may return for a full public hearing in a Senate committee in the coming days or weeks before a vote in the Senate. If passed, it would mark a significant change in how Idaho manages legislative drafting and could serve as a model for controlling legislative workload in other states.
The proposal highlights growing concerns about efficiency in state government, balancing the desire for new legislation with the practical limits of drafting and review resources.
