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Idaho DOC requests funding for transparency tools, training gear and IT replacements
Summary
The Department of Correction presented multiple Management Services budget enhancements including public‑records software (GovQA), LexisNexis access for residents, an access‑to‑courts database, training mannequins and IT replacement items; lawmakers asked for cost breakdowns and ROI information.
The Idaho Department of Correction requested targeted management‑level appropriations to fund public‑records management, resident access to legal resources, training equipment and IT replacement across the agency.
Noah Peterson, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the Management Services Division requested $668,100 for transparency software (most ongoing) to cover public records workflow, inmate access to court documents, and tools to help staff manage subpoenas and requests. He also listed a $611,000 ongoing request tied to laptops and desktops and $850,000 for other IT hardware replacement recommended by the Office of Information Technology Services.
Director Josh Tewalt provided itemized descriptions: GovQA (about $58,700 ongoing) to manage more than 6,000 public‑records requests annually; LexisNexis subscriptions (about $69,700 ongoing) to provide constitutionally required resident access to case law and court resources; and an Access‑to‑Courts (ATC) database (approximate combined ongoing and one‑time amounts described) to provide procedural help for filings and navigation of legal processes.
The division also requested $77,400 one‑time for Meridian training equipment (16 combat training mannequins and a light‑duty vehicle), $19,400 for replacement desks, and $1,800 for general inflation items such as fuel and lubricants. Peterson said the governor recommended the items, with the addition of a one‑time special assistant U.S. Attorney pilot position for North Idaho to support drug trafficking prosecutions.
Committee members asked for clarity about past results and return on investment. Senator Cook and Representative Tanner sought hard outcome data for tools previously funded on a one‑time basis; Peterson said he would obtain usage and performance figures from the agency. Director Tewalt said Recidiviz work was mostly funded with federal and philanthropic dollars previously and that the transparency and LexisNexis requests are ongoing subscription costs meant to replace periodic large purchases of paper law books.
Committee members also asked for a more detailed price breakdown for the three transparency components; Tewalt supplied line‑item amounts in response on the record and offered to provide further detail to the committee staff.
No formal action was taken; staff and the agency agreed to provide additional cost and outcome data to aid the committee’s final appropriations decision.
