A Second Greater Idaho Bill Introduced in the Oregon State Legislature
5th February 2025
A second “Greater Idaho” bill was introduced in the Oregon State Legislature on Tuesday. The bill, HB 3844, would create a state taskforce to “document the state and federal legal and legislative processes that must take place to relocate the Oregon and Idaho state boundaries…” The legislature is already considering a bill in the Senate, SJM7, which is a memorial inviting the state of Idaho to begin border talks. The Idaho Legislature passed a similar memorial in 2023.
House Bill 3844, introduced by Representative Mark Owens of Crane and co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Levy, Vikki Breese-Iverson and Emily McIntire, takes a different approach from the Senate bill. While SJM7 would begin border negotiations, the house bill would create a study group comprised of multiple stakeholders from across Oregon, who would then be tasked with attempting to answer some of the detail questions of a border change, like the impact on certain industries.
Greater Idaho Executive Director Matt McCaw praised the new legislation. “We are encouraged to see the representatives of Eastern Oregon coming together to advocate for their voters by bringing these bills to the Legislature. The people of Eastern Oregon have made clear they want to explore moving the border and joining Idaho. If the Oregon Legislature truly believes in democracy, they will honor those voters’ wishes and move forward on making a border change happen.”