Idaho Bills

Relates to replacement items for the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the Idaho State Lottery, the Brand Inspection Division, the Commission of Pardons and Parole, the Public Utilities Commission, and Idaho Public Television for fiscal year 2026.

This is a FY 2026 appropriation bill for the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the Idaho State Lottery, the Brand Inspection Division, the Commission of Pardons and Parole, Idaho Public Television, and Public Utilities Commission. It includes funding for replacement items.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Lands for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

This appropriation to the Department of Lands provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that includes funding for a fire emergency support program manager, and fire aviation section manager, a statewide forest assessment program manager, fire detection cameras, fire equipment, the replacement of the fire burn permit system, statewide security upgrades, GIS enhancements, a boat and trailer, a vehicle for the agency's fleet and facilities manager, assessment fee adjustments for the timber protective associations (TPA), a change in employee compensation adjustment for TPA employees, a net zero salary split adjustment, a net zero transfer to correct a CEC adjustment, dedicated funds for replacement items, funding to replace computer hardware as recommended by the Office of Information Technology Systems, onetime for bonuses for firefighters, and support for satellite fire detection and mapping. This bill also includes a FY 2025 supplemental enhancement that appropriates and transfers $40,000,000 from the General Fund to Fire Suppression Deficiency Warrant Fund for fire-fighting activities. This action is reflected in Table 2. The appropriation does not include an additional 2.00 FTP and $323,000 that was requested by the Department of Lands, including funding for an assistant fire warden in the Ponderosa Area; a net-zero adjustment to support a fiscal financial specialist; a forestry program specialist; and funding for the shared stewardship program. The appropriation also shifted $83,000 from the General Fund to dedicated fund sources. The Governor's Recommendation included an additional $60,000,000 from the General Fund to Fire Suppression Deficiency Warrant Fund for fire-fighting activities as part of the FY 2025 and FY 2026 recommendations that was not included in the appropriation.

Relates to the maintenance appropriation to Natural Resources for fiscal year 2026.

This is the FY 2026 Maintenance Appropriation for Natural Resources. This bill includes appropriations to the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Fish and Game, the Board of Land Commissioners, the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Water Resources. The appropriation includes standard adjustments for personnel benefit costs, contract inflation, statewide cost allocation, and change in employee compensation.

Relates to the appropriation to the Office of the Secretary of State for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Office of the Secretary of the State provides enhancements to the FY 2026 budget. As detailed in Table 1, it appropriates an additional $468,300 from the General Fund. This increase provides funding for a deputy business director, software subscriptions, information technology training, funding for the Blue Book and Constitution publications, conference costs, general inflation for postage costs, and replacement items.

Relates to the appropriation to the State Appellate Public Defender for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the State Appellate Public Defender provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that includes a new Deputy State Public Defender position and reappropriation authority for capital and noncapital representation costs.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Commerce, Department of Environmental Quality, and the Department of Health and Welfare for fiscal year 2025.

This is a fiscal year 2025 supplemental appropriation for the Department of Commerce, Department of Environmental Quality, and the Department of Health and Welfare. These actions make corrections to the fiscal year 2025 appropriations. Firstly, sections one and two align reappropriated moneys for broadband funding. This is a net zero change to the appropriation that moves moneys from the Commerce Program to the Broadband Office within the department. In 2024, the Legislature created a new budgeted program in the Department of Commerce to provide more transparency and oversight of funding spent on broadband projects. This appropriation aligns spending with oversight. Secondly, section 3 transfers $2,000,000 from the General Fund to the DEQ General Fund (within the Department of Environmental Quality). The 2024 Legislature appropriated and transferred $2,000,000 from the DEQ General Fund to the CAFO Improvement Fund to provide support for projects pursuant to Section 39-3628B, Idaho Code. The language in the 2024 appropriation bill directed funds be transferred from the DEQ General Fund, not from the General Fund as voted on by the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee. Finally, sections four through seven make two net-zero transfers from trustee and benefit payments to operating expenditures. These moneys are required to be expended as operating expenditures pursuant to audit guidance. The Department of Health and Welfare's appropriation was limited so as to now allow the department of move moneys from trustee and benefit funds to other expenditure categories. This action aligns the appropriation with the proper expenditure category.

Relates to the maintenance appropriations to the executive offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Controller, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer for fiscal year 2026.

This is the FY 2026 Maintenance Appropriation for the Constitutional Officers. This bill includes appropriations to the Executive Office of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the State Controller, the Secretary of State, and the State Treasurer. The appropriation includes personnel benefit costs, contract inflation, statewide cost allocation, and change in employee compensation.

Relates to the appropriation to the State Board of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho for Special Programs for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to Special Programs organized under the State Board of Education provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that includes additional staffing, additional operating expenditures, and funding for the rural educator incentive program.

Relates to the appropriation to the State Board of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho for Health Education Programs for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Health Education Programs organized under the State Board of Education provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that includes funding for new residencies.

Relates to the appropriation to the Endowment Fund Investment Board for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Endowment Fund Investment Board provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that includes funding for employee compensation, general inflation, and replacement items that include computer equipment.

Relates to the appropriation to the Agricultural Research and Extension Service for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the University of Idaho Agriculture Research and Extension Service provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget, including building maintenance costs at the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment in Rupert. This appropriation provides an additional $250,100 to the maintenance appropriation provided to the Agriculture Research and Extension Service found in House Bill 341. Table 1 shows incremental adjustments to the budget found in the bill, of which the ongoing increase is $250,100, and there are no onetime appropriations. Table 2 shows all the adjustments leading to the FY 2026 Total. The total budget for Agriculture Research and Extension Service is $39,955,500.

Relates to the appropriation to the Public Employee Retirement System for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to PERSI, the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that include funding for the pension software upgrade, board member travel, and IT hardware.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Administration for the Division of Public Works for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Division of Public Works in the Department of Administration provides the FY 2026 original appropriation from the Permanent Building Fund. It provides funding for building maintenance, alterations, and repairs, funding to restore an appropriation for statewide deferred maintenance, and funding for capital projects, which include the expansion of the Department of Lands Ponderosa Supervisory Office; establishing utilities connections at the site of the future Bonneville County Readiness Center; the purchase of land and construction of an Idaho State Police District 2 facility; construction of laboratories at the Micron Center for Materials Research at Boise State University; construction of the Life Sciences Complex at Idaho State University, and construction of a Joint Military Science and Veterans' Assistance Center at the University of Idaho.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Administration for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Department of Administration provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that include 1.00 FTP and funding for a personnel technician for the Office of Group Insurance; 1.00 FTP and funding for a property values analyst for the Office of Risk Management; 1.00 FTP and funding for a financial specialist; a trailer for the Division of Security; funding for the Governor's housing stipend; a transfer from capital outlay to operating expenditures in the Division of Public Works; replacement items; and IT hardware. The bill includes a cash transfer from the Permanent Building Fund to the Governor's Residence Fund. Requested enhancements that were not funded include a truck for the Division of Security, which was able to repurpose an existing vehicle.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Water Resources for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Department of Water Resources provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that includes funding for aquifer monitoring and measuring, positions for water administration, ESRI maintenance costs, support for Laserfiche conversion, replacement items, and funding for water infrastructure projects. This bill includes language directing the transfer of funds to the Aquifer Planning and Management Fund for aquifer monitoring, reappropriation of federal grant funds, and the use of filing fees to the Water Management Fund for water projects. The Department of Water Resources requested $127,700 for a public information position that did not receive an appropriation.

Relates to the appropriation to the Public Schools Educational Support Program's Division of Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Public School Support Program's Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB) provides enhancements to the FY 2026 program maintenance budget with the addition of two new staff positions in the Outreach Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, career ladder equivalent funding to provide IESDB teachers with funding parity since these teachers are not on the state's career ladder, and funding to assist IESDB with recruitment and retention of instructional staff.

Relates to the appropriation to the Public Schools Educational Support Program's Division of Facilities for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Public School Support Program's Division of Facilities provides enhancements to the FY 2026 program maintenance budget with the addition of funding related to charter school facilities and a reduction of appropriation for estimated lottery dividends for fiscal year 2026.

Relates to the appropriation to the Public Schools Educational Support Program's Division of Teachers for fiscal year 2026.

This appropriation to the Public School Support Program's Division of Teachers provides enhancements to the FY 2026 program maintenance budget with the addition of funding related to statutory-based Career Ladder placements and for 200 fewer estimated support units in fiscal year 2026 changing from 16,154 units to 15,954 units.

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Environmental Quality for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

This appropriation to the Department of Environmental Quality provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget that includes funding for targeted pay to address turnover; funding for superfund cleanup; funding for remediation of Triumph Mine site; funding to reimburse infrastructure grantees using the ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds; a net zero fund shift for personnel costs; and the cash transfer including $10,000,000 from the General Fund for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure grants. Enhancement 4 for ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds removes the ongoing appropriation from this fund and replaces it with onetime appropriation that have been committed statewide for infrastructure grants. This provides that moneys that would have otherwise been appropriated in FY 2027 are available in FY 2026 so projects can be reimbursed to infrastructure grant recipients as soon as possible. This appropriation also includes an exemption from Idaho Code for the agency to balance its indirect funds for FY 2025.

Relates to the appropriation to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

This appropriation to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation provides an enhancement to the FY 2026 maintenance budget for interpreter services for the Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Additionally, this bill provides a FY 2025 supplemental appropriation for the state's match to access federal grant funding and additional authorized client services determined ineligible for federal reimbursement.

Relates to the appropriation to the State Department of Education for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

This appropriation to the Department of Education provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budget. This includes partial funding for new ISAT and IRI contracts, performance report card (funding was moved from a FY 2025 request to a FY 2026 enhancement), farm-to-school program, child nutrition technology grant program, and two new staff for special education services. The bill also includes onetime funding from the School Bus Camera Fund in FY 2025 and ongoing funding for FY 2026 to meet the requirements of Section 49,1422, Idaho Code that allows for the purchase of school bus stop-arms software, equipment, and training to enforce the provisions of the section. This bill does not include funding for a second Indian education coordinator staff position, for a youth well-being assessment, drivers education reimbursement increases, or for the data dashboard and report card.

Relates to the appropriation to the Idaho Transportation Department for fiscal year 2026.

This is a FY 2025 trailer appropriation bill for the Idaho Transportation Department. It addresses the fiscal impact of House Bill 25, which changes the distribution going to the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation Fund from a percentage to a fixed distribution. House Bill 25 changes the distribution to one hundred forty-five million dollars ($145,000,000) in FY 2026, one hundred sixty-five million dollars ($165,000,000) in FY 2027, and one hundred eighty-five million dollars ($185,000,000) in FY 2028 and beyond.