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House passes enhancement appropriation for community colleges (House Bill 4-17)
Summary
The House approved House Bill 4-17, an enhancement appropriation providing a 2.4% increase over maintenance for community colleges, including an enrollment workload adjustment and a hold-harmless for North Idaho College.
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho House passed House Bill 4-17, the enhancement appropriation for community colleges, following a short floor presentation and some debate over fiscal details.
Sponsor Representative from District 21 described the bill as an enrollment workload adjustment that provides an overall 2.4% increase over the maintenance budget and includes a hold-harmless change for North Idaho College after recent enrollment declines prompted a negative formula result. "This bill just essentially gives an increase to the community colleges based on the current situation in their enrollment," the sponsor said.
Opponents questioned the size of the increase relative to the sponsor's 1.2% threshold preference and pointed to components in the maintenance budget such as employee compensation and personnel benefits that appear in budget tables; the sponsor and committee members clarified that table totals shown include maintenance plus enhancement figures, and table 1 of the bill contains the enrollment workload adjustment. Committee members said some requested dollars originated from the governor's office and the committee narrowed one $10 million request to technical and community college programs.
The House recorded the roll as 50 yeas and 20 nays; the clerk announced House Bill 4-17 passed the House. The bill will be enrolled and transmitted per standard procedures.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 4-17 — House passage recorded as 50 yeas, 20 nays.
