Committee approves Idaho State Historical Society staffing and moving funds; transfers remaining America250 money to a treasurer account

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 24 approved additions to the Idaho State Historical Society budget and moved remaining America250 commemoration funds into a dedicated fund overseen by the treasurer.

The committee voted to add to the FY2026 program maintenance budget three full‑time positions and $744,100 in total for the Historical Society: $506,900 from the general fund, $174,300 from dedicated funds, and $62,900 from federal funds. Committee analysts said the additions include two staff for the Old Idaho State Penitentiary (a store manager and an education specialist), a limited‑service archivist technician ($62,900) to create an online registry of archival holdings, $450,000 for moving state collections into a centralized, climate‑controlled location (a one‑time request), and $90,200 for IT…