House approves Health and Welfare maintenance budget after heated debate

The Idaho House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 11-08, the Department of Health and Welfare maintenance budget for fiscal year 2026, on March 20, 2025, by voice and recorded vote, 63-7.

The vote approved a maintenance budget the bill’s floor sponsor described as a pared-down funding plan; opponents called the total package “massive” and urged deeper cuts. Representative (District 18), who presented the measure, said the proposal is a maintenance budget that excludes forthcoming enhancement requests and conversion of some ongoing funds to one-time spending.

Supporters told colleagues the bill largely reflects policies this Legislature has already adopted and that some reductions are included. Representative (District 23), speaking for the proponents, said the budget includes reductions and conversions intended to limit future maintenance spending and asked members for a “green light.”

Opponents repeatedly criticized the size of the budget and the share it represents of the state’s maintenance appropriations. Representative (District 19) said, “I look at this, budget. $5,200,000,000. This is absolutely massive,” and later urged colleagues to vote it down. Representative (District 2) said he could not in good conscience vote down a budget that cuts spending, despite misgivings about its size.

Members debated several specific points raised on the floor: a reported reduction of 11.5 full-time positions and a $117,100,000 reduction from the previously proposed amount; a floor estimate that the Health and Welfare maintenance budget accounted for roughly 41% of the total maintenance package; and conversions of ongoing funds to one-time appropriations intended to remove recurring costs from the maintenance baseline.

Supporters emphasized that much of the dollar total is federal money and that some line items were reduced from initial requests. Representative (District 18) summarized the committee and floor work, noting the budget's ties to prior policy choices made by the Legislature.

The final recorded roll call was 63 in favor and 7 opposed. The House’s passage sends the enrolled bill back to the Senate and continues the budget process ahead of the 2026 fiscal year.

The action does not itself change policy; lawmakers and staff said future enhancement bills and policy measures would be the vehicle for larger program changes.

Votes and next steps: the bill will move forward to the Senate; additional enhancement requests tied to Health and Welfare were noted on the floor as forthcoming.