The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Friday, Jan. 17, approved a slate of program-maintenance budgets, technical corrections and reappropriations affecting multiple state agencies, including corrections to broadband funding, transfers for environmental cleanup and routine appropriations for legislative, judicial, education, public safety and natural-resources programs.

Committee action matters because the motions set the baseline funding levels that drive agency operations for the 2026 fiscal year and authorize limited carryover or reappropriation of one-time funds for projects such as broadband grants, court and legislative technology updates, and environmental remediation.

The committee passed more than a dozen separate motions. Many were unanimous votes recorded as 20 ayes and 0 nays. Motions included reassigning reappropriated broadband funds into a newly created broadband office, correcting a Department of Environmental Quality appropriation to reflect a transfer rather than a reduction to the general fund, and multiple object-class corrections in the Department of Health and Welfare to move monies from trustee and benefit payments into operating expenditures for contract-based payments.

The panel also approved program-maintenance budgets for the legislative and judicial branches; constitutional officers; public safety agencies, including the Idaho Department of Correction and Idaho State Police; general government agencies; economic development functional-area agencies; natural resources agencies; State Board of Education programs; and public schools. Most of those motions carried by unanimous roll-call votes. The committee additionally accepted the Department of Health and Welfare request to realign base appropriations to reflect a departmental reorganization; that motion passed with 18 ayes, one nay and one absent/excused. A follow-up motion to adopt the Health and Human Services program-maintenance totals passed 17 ayes, two nays and one absent/excused.

Committee staff repeatedly emphasized that the actions were largely technical maintenance — setting base budgets and authorizing limited carryovers — and that some policy-dependent items (notably final decisions on a statewide cost-of-living/compensation adjustment known in committee as CEC and on health insurance cost allocations) were left for later action because the committee did not reach consensus.

Votes at a glance

- Commerce broadband reappropriation (remove misapplied reappropriated funds and add to Broadband Program): passed, 20–0.
- DEQ correction (convert a mistaken general-fund reduction into a transfer to make the agency whole): passed, 20–0.
- Health & Welfare object-class corrections (substance abuse treatment & prevention: $160,000 move; central tumor registry: $240,000 move): both passed, 20–0.
- Legislative branch program-maintenance budget (includes cost-allocation changes): passed, 20–0.
- Judicial branch program-maintenance budget (includes reappropriation authority for court technology): passed, 20–0.
- Constitutional officers program-maintenance budget (Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Secretary of State, Treasurer): passed, 20–0.
- Public safety program-maintenance budget (Department of Correction, Juvenile Corrections, Idaho State Police, racing commission): passed, 20–0.
- General government program-maintenance budget (Administration, Governor's office, Tax Commission elements): passed, 20–0.
- Economic development functional-area budgets (Agriculture, Commerce, Lottery, libraries, etc.): passed, 20–0.
- Natural resources program-maintenance budget (DEQ, Fish & Game, Lands, Parks, Water Resources, Endowment boards): passed, 20–0.
- State Board of Education program-maintenance budget and related reappropriation language: passed, 20–0.
- Public-school support program-maintenance budget (includes allocations for teacher professional development, discretionary funds, health insurance placeholder): passed, 20–0.
- Health & Human Services reorganization realignment (base realignment and creation of an Idaho Child Care Program appropriation unit): passed, 18–1–1.
- Health & Human Services program-maintenance totals and associated language: passed, 17–2–1.

What’s next

Staff told the committee that wherever the body did not reach agreement — notably on CEC calculations and a final statewide health-insurance funding number — those decisions will be deferred to a later meeting when staff can present consensus options or whenever the committee reaches agreement. The committee also scheduled a technical-review hearing after bills are drafted so members can confirm language and technical corrections before bills are introduced to the full Legislature.

The motions approved Friday generally set base appropriations and limited reappropriation authority; substantial program changes and any policy-driven increases will require separate action by the Legislature or by the committee when consensus numbers are available.