House approves State Controller enhancement after heated debate over LUMA costs

House Bill 4-26, an enhancement appropriation for the Office of the State Controller that brings previously off‑budget LUMA project expenses onto the regular appropriations roll, passed the Idaho House 38-32 on March 24.

Supporters said the measure does not add ongoing new program spending so much as reclassify expenses that had been paid through a continuously appropriated Business Infrastructure Investment Fund (BIF). "While this budget does look scary, I'll grant you that. It is a great budget. It's an increase in transparency," Representative 21 said, explaining that bringing LUMA expenses on budget makes future costs visible to the Legislature.

Opponents said the bill nonetheless appears to increase the department's budget and staff count. Representative 19 argued that the enhancement shows a 60.4 percent increase on the fiscal note and that the request creates 10 additional full‑time positions. "Where's the accountability? Where's the stop?" Representative 19 asked during debate, saying he would vote against the bill.

Proponents responded that the positions already exist and were funded off‑budget under the BIF; bringing them on‑budget merely reflects the true, consolidated cost. Representative 21 told colleagues that, when the prior off‑budget amounts are aggregated with the new on‑budget numbers, the total is a 40 percent decrease from fiscal year 2024 spending for the same program.

After roughly an hour of questions and debate, the House voted to pass HB 4-26. The Journal records the tally as 38 ayes and 32 nays. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate.

Ending: The debate centered on accounting and transparency versus the optics of a large enhancement figure; supporters said the change will make LUMA spending easier to track in future budgets and that the positions are not newly created but relocated on‑budget.