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House approves bringing LUMA expenses onto State Controller budget after heated debate
Summary
Lawmakers voted 38-32 to move previously ‘off‑budget’ LUMA project costs into the State Controller’s 2026 appropriation; proponents called it transparency, critics warned of apparent growth in positions and spending.
BOISE, March 24, 2025 — The Idaho House voted to approve House Bill 4-26 on Tuesday, moving costs tied to the LUMA business-systems project from an off‑budget fund onto the State Controller’s fiscal 2026 appropriation. The measure passed 38-32.
Supporters said the change is an accounting shift required because a continuously appropriated Business Infrastructure Investment Fund (BIF) is expiring, and bringing the LUMA costs on budget increases transparency. Representative, Idaho House, District 21, the bill’s floor presenter, said that while the enhancement fiscal note looks large, “it’s a decrease of 40% compared to fiscal year 24” when on‑ and off‑budget costs are viewed together.
The bill’s sponsor told the chamber the employees and services funded by the BIF already exist and that recording those costs in the controller’s base will allow the agency’s spending to be visible and folded into next year’s maintenance budget.
Opponents said the enhancement appears to add full‑time positions and flagged the fiscal note’s headline percentage increases. Members who opposed the bill argued lawmakers should demand greater accountability for a multi‑year IT project and questioned whether recurring appropriations were appropriate for a program that had previously been funded from a continuously appropriated fund.
Floor debate included repeated questions about cumulative LUMA cost, program oversight and whether the move created new ongoing obligations for the general fund. The sponsor answered that the change reflects the expiration of the off‑budget fund and that next year the amounts will be treated as maintenance rather than an enhancement.
After the vote the bill was enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
Ending: The House action brings LUMA expenses into the State Controller’s formal budget lines for the first time, a change lawmakers framed as both increasing transparency and altering how future budgets will be presented. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
