[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6358613,"mediaKeyId","2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772","parentId",2212102,"title","Treasurer and IHFA describe loan pass‑throughs as governor seeks $15 million for workforce housing fund","audioSeconds",417,"startMs",5627000,"endMs",6044000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772&start=5627&end=6044","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772/thumbnail_5627000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6358613/Idaho/Treasurer-and-IHFA-describe-loan-passthroughs-as-governor-seeks-15-million-for-workforce-housing-fund","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358613-7087de89cae32b1fde5fe6c170fa084b/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939733&Signature=F2SraPSORU4CUwRUbNGdYVgl0FTvjU-hbNwQpYCvk06RCZKj6l5fsHhCCX7ewYe1KVHn0oRKhjqkUR6NxQ26LsEsqB35R2-gFnWKnMXi1TFHtX2HKvcI0vQH5XsGvVocA4vkLmOma9HQe-34T38C4FStvZ164OmBerRPYisyctv1U0j78PCHCxJpWjytcKhe43SW3JZEpEHtitAAGq1LlqqKYHDDdvYQ7pLggs32~MQVTyQ1Y4Qbz2tuAq9RAZLhmcBuHkR2l0v5eZgZmf5Mx8xcWU8PrysMXQNl~~Eax~CLfBsPTy0GcrrF3udtrApDN-iYJ7NabIV81T-NrsX0VQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Idaho Joint Legislative","date","2025-01-28T00:00:00Z","article","The state treasurer and a representative from the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA) explained a governor‑recommended $15 million transfer to the Idaho Workforce Housing Fund and described how the fund operates as a revolving loan vehicle.

Why it matters: Committee analysts noted a prior $50 million one‑time appropriation in 2022 that was intended to be passed through the treasurer to IHFA for gap financing of workforce housing projects. IHFA said the earlier awards were issued as loans and repayments are expected to return into a loan fund to support future projects.

How the program works: Brady Ellis of IHFA confirmed the loans from the earlier $50 million were structured as loans and said repayments will return to IHFA’s circulating loan fund for further use. Analyst Christopher Lahoset described the statutory framework that governs transfers and noted that some funds (for example, unclaimed property excesses) revert to the general fund per statute referenced in the presentation.

Governor’s proposal and committee questions: The governor recommended a $15 million transfer from the general fund to the workforce housing fund with appropriation authority to enable additional gap financing. Committee members asked how quickly prior awards were disbursed, how projects are geographically distributed, repayment timelines and whether the state treasurer or IHFA would provide detailed reports to the committee; IHFA and the treasurer agreed to provide project lists and repayment information.

Other treasury business noted: The treasurer’s presentation also covered routine agency functions—managing state deposits, investments and the unclaimed property program—and a requested ongoing $25,000 appropriation for an abnormal cloud email security product to assist with cybersecurity protections.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee Meeting January 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The governor proposed a $15 million general‑fund transfer to the Idaho Workforce Housing Fund; IHFA and the state treasurer told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee the money would be issued as loans and repayments would return to a revolving loan pool for future projects.","taxTitle","Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, JOINT, Committees, Legislative, Idaho","taxId",28593,"location","Idaho","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6358618,"New State Public Defender agency outlines large funding needs, counties to retain facilities until 2029",2008,940000,2948000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772&start=940&end=2948","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772/thumbnail_940000.jpg","/articles/6358618/Idaho/New-State-Public-Defender-agency-outlines-large-funding-needs-counties-to-retain-facilities-until-2029","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358618-6150d47c540c8ffe6eb72a1af3fd11b5/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939733&Signature=U2GUP2nm9XorXbN2BcrX0s6huaI4xxj~Auugcf~8ASRGIn1Fnh9Y0d-TPu6ZHZ37m2~T4QzwK2zeedzDH0PiS3Ac-suzQ8RDP3IxeaMFhX1ktk14Oh~nv9gTRlV0m2haat2GMZwE2KyuROSELqCYarKXYMSVb8b5gP2rTbC6Di8l5xZti8THhf9B764eOtTCExfy4ZNxMoL4mEOWRZ9FbdtcJ8XTL82IHQFdoGh7RigoIkbAdqVQVVuX8NswsT2rb7yIDOWdm~9csyLOMsbt1jiygPISDv2t0nTG7KUapwjtBZaQlsXxw0O8euXMeY-ORw53w3K2B4t6QmfBqdqnkw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Office of the State Public Defender presented its first full budget to the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee and requested a mix of supplemental and ongoing appropriations to stand up statewide operations and cover unanticipated costs.

Why it matters: The office is a new state agency created under Title 19, Chapter 60 (as referenced during the hearing) to deliver indigent defense services statewide. Committee analysts and the state public defender described gaps between initial funding assumptions and current needs, including court transcript obligations created by a December 5, 2024 Idaho Supreme Court decision (State v. Blaszek) and uncovered county costs that had not been previously disclosed to budget drafters.

Major funding items and the dedicated fund: Analyst Christopher Lahoset told the committee the State Public Defense Fund was seeded by a statutory transfer of $39 million from the tax relief fund (identified in the presentation as \"section 57827 of Idaho Code\"). The agency requested a one‑time supplemental appropriation of $2.5 million for the current fiscal year to fully utilize the $39 million cash transfer and to provide representation for children and parents under the Child Protective Act. The governor also recommended a one‑time supplemental of roughly $390,200 to cover transcript costs tied to the Idaho Supreme Court ruling and additional one‑time and ongoing funding to recruit and retain employees and increase contract rates for attorneys and investigators.

Agency scale and vacancies: Lahoset presented the office’s current staffing and budget snapshots and said the new agency was budgeted at roughly 360 authorized full‑time positions with 29 vacancies as of the December snapshot. He said the agency’s personnel budget is in the multiple‑tens of millions and that two‑thirds of funding comes from the dedicated State Public Defense Fund.

Operational challenges described by Director Eric Fredericksen: Fredericksen told the committee the new agency \"walked into 1,300 withdrawals and cases,\" that he and district staff initially litigated many matters, and that the office has seen significant contractor departures. \"We lost a lot of contract attorneys,\" he said. Fredericksen said some prior county funding streams and flat‑fee contract arrangements were not disclosed to the Public Defense Commission and that the office is working to standardize pay and contract rates across the state.

Scope and timing: Fredericksen said counties are required by the implementing legislation to provide facilities through 2029; the state may need statutory changes to alter that arrangement. He also told the committee the office is receiving appointments for many matters that are not traditional criminal defense—including custody and private‑termination cases—and that staff are litigating appointments they believe are outside the agency’s statutory scope.

County onboarding and other requests: The agency requested authorization for additional positions to open institutional offices in several counties (Benewah, Elmore, Jerome and Shoshone were named in the presentation) and noted onboarding of counties will continue in future years. The governor recommended a one‑time cash transfer of $16,867,400 from the general fund to the State Public Defense Fund to increase recruiting and contract rates.

Committee concerns and next steps: Legislators asked for more detail about the composition of \"experts\" and \"miscellaneous\" line items (e.g., psychosexual evaluations and transcript costs), whether supplementals could be delayed into the FY2026 budget, and whether anticipated economies of scale would materialize from a statewide system. Fredericksen said the agency is still learning the volume and cost structure and will provide additional detail to the committee on specific cost categories and county‑level facilities arrangements.","The newly formed Office of the State Public Defender told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee it needs supplemental and ongoing funding to implement statewide public defense, cover transcript costs after an Idaho Supreme Court ruling and to recruit attorneys and investigators as counties are phased into the state system.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6358619,"Appellate public defender asks for in‑house deputy to reduce costly outside contracts",256,86000,342000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772&start=86&end=342","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772/thumbnail_86000.jpg","/articles/6358619/Idaho/Appellate-public-defender-asks-for-inhouse-deputy-to-reduce-costly-outside-contracts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358619-85f4e3eae6ce79028e58d37477a9f002/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939733&Signature=WFgsgOQrIrOJWSIa250oy3-gZLdxyfwz6T9yx6lD8-jMGEEYDGVEDZ9N6jR0EDgYUdE4q5hWldWzflORTvIBX8J9tcAiBU5Rem4U7L9pRWURhWqBswEmVnwusbzyWkfILzzBNzsSOJDcxOI5bH5HTlBx74TrIw~6tN0B9NYXnmkXg79r-0trLheYisSvamQuxaZXwOciiGDnZDtiNXJc67cDocjSMj6eSshv0QnZYkMwACS62UrJVPQHNAMabYNLsj-roqMb3oQlkj4mrJsHqnR6Cr6rZkNZOBk9ACeZbtmlxIrPP8lMJ~TBM1dl78IcJ9s~47Sxm2qWZQsUINywvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Office of the State Appellate Public Defender requested funding for an additional deputy appellate public defender during a Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee hearing. Budget analyst Christopher Lahoset told the committee the new position would handle non‑capital felony, misdemeanor and juvenile district and post‑conviction appeals and that hiring an in‑house attorney would be less expensive than continuing to contract overflow cases.

Why it matters: The office reported a sustained increase in appeals since the pandemic and said contracting overflow cases is more costly and can extend across fiscal years. Committee members pressed the director on turnover, contracting practices and how a new hire would change case assignments.

Budget and workload: Lahoset said the appellate office has authorization for 26 full‑time positions and, as of the budget snapshot, reported no vacancies. He told the committee the office’s estimated annual bill from contracted private firms for overflow cases would be about $254,000, while hiring an in‑state attorney at an annual salary of roughly $140,000 would generate savings for the office.

Director Eric Leightonen described a large, post‑pandemic caseload increase and periods of turnover that lengthened hiring timelines. \"It has been a challenging couple of years because ... our post‑pandemic caseload has gone up pretty dramatically,\" Leightonen said, adding that the office tailors caseloads by attorney experience and currently manages about 650 cases in the fiscal year.

Contracting and conflicts: Leightonen explained the office must continue to contract out cases that create conflicts of interest; those funds are budgeted separately and typically run about $200,000 per year. He said the office also contracts some overflow matters when staffing or case spikes require it, and that contracting is generally more expensive than handling work in‑house and can cross fiscal years, complicating budgeting.

Committee questions and context: Committee members pressed on how the new position would change assignments (Leightonen said it would add a 13th appellate attorney and share of the caseload), why contracting is used, and how the office manages training and case complexity. Lahoset noted prior supplemental appropriations related to a large influx of cases and that approximately $1,259,000 in one‑time reappropriated funds remain available and could be drawn down.

Outlook: The director concluded by thanking the committee for consideration and expressed hope the committee would support the governor’s request for the additional position and reappropriation authority so the office can move more work in‑house and reduce reliance on higher‑cost contracts.","The Office of the State Appellate Public Defender asked the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee for funding to add a deputy appellate public defender to absorb non‑capital appeals and reduce the office’s reliance on higher‑cost contracted firms.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6358616,"Secretary of State seeks funding for voter guide, continued election technology and a deputy transition",1384,4267000,5651000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772&start=4267&end=5651","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212102-38f04000bf7b13f444b36724d8d6e772/thumbnail_4267000.jpg","/articles/6358616/Idaho/Secretary-of-State-seeks-funding-for-voter-guide-continued-election-technology-and-a-deputy-transition","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358616-1cef540dcc874cb4fc847882602162ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939733&Signature=N4Hip4sgjwqwmKUJ0zfZNAyidWYGt1mpZ~Xpj9qyHlmY5oJCzOfACAO3qRwxKZmaVZtiuHwNC5b7uGhfoLpfrUAC73y~7QaKcB77BBpYTL1mm8bG1Jh8iuinoMWcFGVauyRgYm2esfh~S9sSE6VutUiNwIorBTPiGipueZy8a42oLPQaGD59A49nguZyyr5SbLHVElDteFTvA7rdbBR5Hr5Jcm3JQv6Um-0AGEtjGiLGI29lduoP8ONMKHBJI-4f~FuAJCMYXfFQZwRjmYZPbJWpmDKFW9SjdDBqSaSfyaaQ9yXUwo2jsVreJ5O-TXyJoLk6oF6IArqKY6iYWrQWdw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Secretary of State Phil McGrane and Legislative Services analyst Christopher Lahoset presented the Secretary of State’s fiscal requests, focusing on a voter guide, ongoing software costs and a one‑time double‑fill for a deputy transition.

Why it matters: The office administers elections, business filings and public records. The voter guide proposal would add candidate and ballot information to a mailed guide for primary and general elections; McGrane said voter guides enjoy broad public support and that the mailing schedule aligns with the state’s fiscal year and election calendar.

Key budget items: Lahoset described eight enhancement requests. The voter guide request is $400,000 ongoing (estimated $300,000 for mailing and $100,000 for printing). The office asked for one‑time funding to double‑fill the deputy business director position so a successor can train alongside the current deputy. Software subscription increases would add about $287,100 for campaign finance, lobbyist software and other cloud services; the office’s base software/cloud budget is about $775,000. A one‑time $26,000 fee was described as a federal system upgrade charge for access to a motor‑vehicle database used to validate voter registration information; the office will still pay routine subscription fees going forward.

Operational context and revenue: McGrane said the office handled more than 800,000 business filings in the prior year and about 70,000 phone calls, and that the office’s filings and fees generate revenue that is deposited to the general fund rather than held in a dedicated fund for the office. He described the successful rollout of three recent IT projects—the upgraded campaign finance system, a lobbyist reporting system and the VoteIdaho site—and said $2.9 million of the $10 million one‑time election systems appropriation has been spent to date with the remainder available for an election management system procurement currently under review.

Committee questions and follow‑ups: Legislators asked why the voter guide would be funded annually rather than only in election years (McGrane said the primary and general elections fall in different fiscal years and an ongoing appropriation stabilizes the budget). Members also asked about postage and whether DMV database access required one‑time funding (McGrane said federal upgrades triggered a one‑time fee but ongoing quarterly subscription fees remain). The committee asked about deputy succession risks and turnover; McGrane said the double‑fill is intended to ensure continuity and that long‑tenured staff typically remain in the office.","Secretary of State Phil McGrane told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee the office requests ongoing funding for a mailed voter guide, continued software subscriptions and a one‑time double‑fill to train a deputy business director; the office emphasized recent IT upgrades and the VoteIdaho site as major accomplishments.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Treasurer and IHFA describe loan pass‑throughs as governor seeks $15 million for workforce housing fund

New State Public Defender agency outlines large funding needs, counties to retain facilities until 2029

Appellate public defender asks for in‑house deputy to reduce costly outside contracts

Secretary of State seeks funding for voter guide, continued election technology and a deputy transition