Bill Description: House Bill 656 (H656) would require school districts to collect aggregate data on student immigration status and nationality,

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Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?

H656 would require school districts to “collect aggregated immigration data for Idaho students” in public and charter schools. 

The United States Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe required states to provide illegal alien children access to a free public education. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that Idaho spends over $200 million a year annually on educating the children of illegal immigrants, but this figure is largely speculative. H656 would improve government transparency by facilitating the ability to more accurately estimate the cost of this unfunded federal mandate. 

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