Idaho House passes Greater Idaho bill, now moves to Senate

BOISE Idaho (KPTV) - Idaho lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted 41-28 to pass a bill, HJM1, in support of the Greater Idaho movement on Wednesday.

The bill is a call to action that will allow Idaho lawmakers to start talking about the movement with Oregon lawmakers. The House State Affairs Committee received testimony on Monday before the Wednesday vote. The measure will now go to the Idaho Senate.

The plan calls for Idaho to be expanded to include rural Oregon. So far, 11 counties in Oregon have signed a petition in support of the expansion.

The plan would also need to be approved by Oregon lawmakers and then sent to the federal government, where Congress would decide whether or not to approve the expansion.