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JFAC approves Historical Society staffing and moving funds, moves remaining America250 balance to treasurer fund
Summary
The committee approved staffing and archive-moving requests for the Idaho State Historical Society, passed a trailer-bill transfer to the America250 Commemoration Fund, and approved a related transfer into a treasurer-managed account.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved supplemental and enhancement requests March 24 for the Idaho State Historical Society and moved remaining America250 commemoration funds into a treasurer-managed account.
Brooke Dupree, Legislative Services Office analyst, presented the Historical Society’s request for FY 2026 program maintenance: two full-time positions for the Old Idaho Penitentiary (a store manager and an education specialist) at $141,000 total, a limited-service archivist technician at $62,900 to create an online archival registry, $450,000 (one time) to move state collections and centralize archives, and $90,200 for IT equipment. Dupree said the governor recommends these items.
Representative Cook moved a supplemental program-maintenance package that adds the personnel and one-time moving/IT costs. The motion reported a combined committee vote of 14 ayes and 6 nays and carried a due-pass recommendation.
Separately, the committee considered a trailer bill tied to House Bill 357 establishing the America250 Commemoration Fund. Mr. Pree (Legislative Services Office) told members $1,650,000 had been appropriated earlier; $128,725 of that amount had been expended and $821,200 remained. Representative Mitchell moved to reduce $821,200 from the Historical Society general fund appropriation so the balance can be moved. The motion passed unanimously (20–0). Christopher Lahoset then presented the treasurer-side language to transfer the $821,200 from the general fund into the America250 Commemoration Fund, and the committee approved the transfer unanimously.
Committee members discussed how the advisory committee intends to prioritize celebratory events rather than memorials; Dupree and staff confirmed a portion of the funding already had limited expenditures and the remainder will move under the oversight established by the trailer bill. The committee recorded due-pass recommendations for the supplemental, the trailer-bill language, and the treasurer transfer.
