On Feb. 25, the Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill backed by the Idaho Agricultural Aviation Association to expand the definition of “Agricultural Operations” under the state’s Right to Farm Act (RFA) to include the ingress and egress of aircraft to agricultural areas. House Bill 606 passed unanimously out of Idaho’s House Agricultural Affairs Committee and off the House floor. It headed to Idaho’s Senate on March 3. HB 606 could be voted on by the full Senate sometime this week, where it is expected to pass easily. From there, it will head to Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s desk to be signed into law.
The RFA protects agricultural activities conducted on farmland in urbanizing areas from being subjected to nuisance lawsuits. An increase in complaints from urban transplants prompted the Idaho Agricultural Aviation Association to seek to amend the RFA to include the ingress and egress of aircraft in agricultural areas in the right to farm territory. “Agricultural aircraft must be able to travel to and from agricultural lands and treatment areas to perform their vital functions. With a growing agricultural/urban interface in Idaho, it is important to recognize and protect the ability for agricultural aircraft to access agricultural lands,” stated key members of the Idaho legislature.
Getting the RFA amendment enacted would amount to another big win for the Idaho AAA coming in quick succession after the successful enactment of legislation exempting ag aircraft and related parts from state sales tax. Great work by the Idaho AAA in advancing this important state legislative work! For more background information, see last week’s board meeting article under state reports.
