Idaho Enacts Law Punishing Claimants Making Wrongful Drift Allegations

Chalk up another success to Idaho’s lobbying duo of Gem State aerial applicator and NAAA member George Parker and David Lehman, the Idaho Agricultural Aviation Association executive director, for successfully advocating for the enactment of a state law making a wrongful drift allegation claimant guilty of a misdemeanor. The new law (Idaho Senate Bill 31123/Idaho House Bill 474) was signed by Idaho Governor Brad Little last week.  It creates a new section of Idaho Code, 22-3417B, relating to false reporting of pesticide and chemigation damage claims. In recent years, applicators have been subjected to an increasing number of damage claims that have been determined to be false by investigators. This legislation creates a misdemeanor criminal penalty for these types of false claims. According to George Parker, a false drift claim can be made once, but subsequent false claims, as determined by Idaho State Department of Agriculture, may result in the claimant being guilty of a misdemeanor.  A misdemeanor in Idaho is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six (6) months, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both.