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Department of Labor seeks $7.33 million in dedicated spending authority to sustain unemployment insurance operations
Summary
The Idaho Department of Labor told the committee it needs an estimated $7.33 million in dedicated-fund spending authority to maintain unemployment insurance operations as federal grant funding declines, and lawmakers asked for staffing and fund-balance detail.
The Idaho Department of Labor told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee it is requesting $7,330,000 in dedicated-fund spending authority for FY26 to sustain unemployment insurance (UI) operations as federal pandemic-era grants decline.
The request and why it matters: Director Janie Rivera explained the UI program is a federal-state partnership that has relied on larger federal grants during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. With federal grant amounts down, the department is seeking authority to draw additional dedicated funds to maintain core operations, staffing and adjudication capacity.
The nut graf: The department asked for a mix of ongoing spending authority and a transfer to offset federal declines; lawmakers pressed for detail on the planned use of staff and the size and solvency of the UI trust fund. Agency officials said Idaho’s UI trust fund remains solvent and that the requested increase will not require general-fund support.
What the department told the committee Director Rivera described the…
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