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Senate approves higher‑education enhancements, orders DEI audit and outcomes review
Summary
The Senate passed Senate Bill 12‑9, an enhancements bill for higher education that funds operational needs, an expanded water‑research initiative and directs legislative audit of DEI practices; the bill also reduced one‑time funding to Boise State and University of Idaho as a JFAC compromise.
The Idaho Senate passed Senate Bill 12‑9 on April 1, an enhancement bill providing targeted operational funding to the state's colleges and universities, a statewide water‑resources research expansion, and direction for legislative audits of DEI practices.
Senator Carlson, presenting the bill, summarized enhancements including operational capacity funding, enrollment workload adjustments and a one‑time increase for the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute to expand research across multiple campuses. The bill also included a salary adjustment recommendation for Lewis‑Clark State College to improve parity with K‑12 teachers (presentation at 18:821–18:890).
A contentious element was JFAC's decision to include one‑time reductions of $2 million each to Boise State University and the University of Idaho. JFAC members said the reductions were a political compromise to pass the broader package; supporters defended the overall bill as a path to an outcomes‑based funding model the Board of Regents will develop with legislative input before implementation in FY2028 (discussion at 18:909–18:917).
The bill also requires an audit by the legislative office of the state's colleges and universities focused on diversity, equity and inclusion practices to ensure compliance with Idaho code; JFAC set deadlines for reporting back to the committee (language described at 18:891–18:900).
The roll call showed 32 ayes, 2 nays and 1 absent/excused and the Senate approved the bill; it will be sent to the House for consideration or transmitted as appropriate (roll call recorded at 19:822–19:822).
