Governor Brad Little signed Senate Bill 1130 into law marking a significant investment in Idaho’s hazardous materials response capabilities. IOEM, part of the Idaho Military Division, proposed this increased funding to ensure hazmat teams are properly equipped to serve a growing Idaho.

Passed by the Idaho Legislature in March, the bill allocates $8.6 million from the State Emergency Relief Fund to IMD’s Miscellaneous Revenue Fund to support regional hazardous material response teams. These teams are an important component of Idaho’s emergency response framework, assisting communities with hazardous substance incidents statewide.

Under the Idaho Hazardous Substance Response Act (Title 39, Chapter 71), IOEM is tasked with establishing and maintaining regional hazardous material response teams, which are hosted by local fire departments that voluntarily respond beyond their jurisdictions. While the cost of incident response is reimbursed through the deficiency warrant process, funding for maintaining response capabilities has been lacking in recent years. Much of the team’s core equipment purchases date back 20 years ago and have exceeded their useful life.

This appropriation addresses that long-standing gap and ensures Idaho’s response infrastructure is aligned with current and future safety standards and operational demands.

IOEM joined Governor Little, local fire teams, and IMD leadership for the official bill signing on Monday, April 14.