JFAC advances parks, higher-education and workforce funding; approves related reporting language

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on March 11 advanced multiple budget actions affecting state parks, higher-education initiatives and workforce training, approving several spending increases and committee language that directs reporting and conditions for grant awards.

The committee voted to add funding and staff to the Department of Parks and Recreation, approved a $20,000 supplemental for a credit-mobility grant for the State Board of Education, advanced a larger FY2026 package for the State Board that includes workforce capacity funding, approved a major one-time investment for adult education and technical colleges through Career Technical Education, and granted a small IT replacement appropriation for the STEM Action Center. Committee members also approved statutory-style “language” directing reports on credit and transcript mobility, outcome-based funding sections and conditions for use and reappropriation of funds.

Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, introduced the Parks and Recreation request, telling the committee, “On the screen before you, we have the Department of Parks and Recreation. The department of parks and recreation is a state agency and it oversees the management of Idaho’s 30 state parks and trails throughout 6 different regions in the state.” The committee adopted Senator Hart’s motion to add a net $8,135,700 in fund authority ( $5,410,700 from dedicated funds and $2,725,000 from federal funds) and 5 full-time equivalent positions for FY2026 to address park personnel, seasonal positions, operating costs, targeted pay increases and specified park improvements, including $4,000,000 for Bear Lake State Park and $400,000 for Lake Cascade. The committee also approved a program consolidation transferring $23,035,600 from the management services program to the park operations program. Representative Furness asked for specifics about a $200,000 reduction in replacement items, asking, “what are the specifics behind the $200,000 decrease of replacement items?” Committee members replied that retained account balances supported the reduction.

For the State Board of Education, Dr. Campbell described a $20,000 supplemental to cover a credit-mobility grant that runs January–December and spans two fiscal years. Representative Petzke moved the supplemental; the committee approved the $20,000 from miscellaneous revenue. Later, Representative Petzke moved a FY2026 package that included one FTE for a database engineer and line items for cybersecurity testing, software support, marketing for a credit-mobility program, vehicle replacements, OITS hardware and a public–private workforce capacity grant. That motion prompted a substitute motion from Senator Windsor to increase the public–private workforce capacity grant to $15,000,000; the substitute failed on a roll call. The underlying motion from Representative Petzke then carried and will move forward with a do-pass recommendation. Committee language tied to the State Board package requests a report on credit and transcript mobility and includes sections on outcome-based funding for colleges and community colleges, reappropriation authority, and conditions and limitations on the awards.

The committee also approved funding for the Division of Career Technical Education. Senator Woodward moved to add federal grant spending authority and a one-time general-fund appropriation for adult education and literacy as well as ongoing trustee-and-benefit payments to distribute $10,000,000 to technical colleges. The motion passed and committee language accompanying that appropriation requires the State Board to report on outcomes of adult education and literacy investments over the prior five fiscal years and provides limited transfer exemptions and conditions for several CTE programs.

Representative Price moved a small FY2026 appropriation for the STEM Action Center to cover an IT replacement item; the motion passed.

Votes at a glance - Department of Parks and Recreation (Senator Hart motion): Add $5,410,700 dedicated funds; $2,725,000 federal funds; total $8,135,700; add 5 FTE — Committee recorded a total of 17 ayes, 3 nays; motion reported do-pass. - Credit-mobility supplemental (Representative Petzke motion): Add $20,000 from miscellaneous revenue for the credit mobility grant — motion recorded as passed (total reported: 17 ayes, 3 nays). - State Board of Education FY2026 package (Representative Petzke motion): Includes 1 FTE, $5,229,200 general fund (plus dedicated items) and public–private workforce capacity grant (committee package as adopted) — substitute to raise the workforce grant to $15,000,000 failed on roll call; underlying motion carried and will move forward with a do-pass recommendation (final chamber tallies not fully specified on the record). - Division of Career Technical Education (Senator Woodward motion): Adds federal authority and a one-time $50,000,001 general fund* for adult education and related programs and ongoing distributions to technical colleges — motion carried; committee adopted language requiring outcomes reporting and limited transfer exemptions. (See clarifying note below.) - STEM Action Center (Representative Price motion): Add $9,900 from the general fund for IT replacements — motion carried.

Clarifying note: where the transcript did not state a chamber-by-chamber numeric roll call for every final motion, the article reports the committee’s stated outcome and records the explicit tallies where the committee clerk read totals aloud (those totals are shown above). If a precise roll-call count was not read into the record for a specific motion, the article indicates that the motion carried and will proceed with a do-pass recommendation.

Why this matters: The committee actions move funding and policy directions for state parks, higher education credit mobility, workforce capacity grants, adult education, technical colleges and K–12/STEM outreach to the next stage of the legislative process. Several of the appropriations are tied to required reports, outcome-based funding work and conditions the committee attached to how the money may be spent or reappropriated.

What’s next: The approved items will proceed to the legislature with do-pass recommendations and accompanying committee language directing reports and conditions as described above.