Opinion: Idaho’s Failed ‘Rodents of Unusual Size Act’ was Flawed in Design

Editor’s note: In March, Idaho Senate Bill 1271, also known as the “Rodents of Unusual Size Act,” failed to make its way out of the Idaho House. The legislation’s main provisions called for using GIS mapping to monitor the movement of Norway and roof rats statewide, along with creating a comprehensive eradication plan to be implemented by November 2026. In the following article, Kurt Treftz, co-founder and director of Cascade Pest Control, Snohomish, Wash., shares why the Idaho Pest Management Association opposed Idaho Senate Bill 1271, which would have circumvented private enterprise (i.e., pest management professionals) in state-wide rat control efforts.

For the last few years folks in and around Boise and Eagle Idaho have been alarmed and outraged by the seemingly sudden outbreak of rats. While the Treasure Valley area has always contended with field (or deer) mice, rats are a relatively new problem. The area is fairly dry and had not been very suitable for rats, being they need water to drink and their commensal companion — lots of people were only sparsely present until recently. However, the housing expansion has replaced miles of farmland with houses and businesses and between folks watering their lawns and providing all the other food and harborage a rat could love, rats finally took hold.

Norway rats were known to be present perhaps as early as four or more years ago, in small numbers. But around 2 years ago roof rats took hold and never turned back. Because residents hadn’t dealt with rats before and because they thrived like some invasion residents leaned on local representatives to “do something” and the Idaho House Bill 1271–nicknamed “Rodents of Unusual Size Act” was put forward.

The bill was a desperate attempt to address the new and quickly growing rat problem and the Idaho Pest Management Association made a clear and successful effort to assert that private enterprise — pest management professionals — should not be circumvented in efforts to control the rats. 

As it turned out it does not appear that there was any solid consultation of a rodentologist to carefully craft Idaho House Bill 1271. The scope of work and methods to address a runaway rat population explosion were not realistically addressed. Particularly, a realistic budget to contain the rat population in at least 3 cities and all their suburban sprawl to actually eliminate rats was not available. And even if such an effort at great expense could occur, what would keep rats from being introduced numerous times again in the future?

The fact is that residential and commercial presence in Boise and Treasure Valley has substantially changed allowing rats to now be part of the landscape.