Joint finance committee approves $177.4 million package to raise minimum staff pay, adds targeted increases for troopers, IT and healthcare workers

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted Feb. 6 to add $177,429,100 in compensation adjustments to the budgets maintained by the committee, directing state agencies to provide employee pay increases between $1.05 and $1.55 per hour and adding targeted schedule adjustments for specific job classes.

The motion, offered by Representative Miller and seconded by Senator Groves, directs fiscal year 2026 funding of $84,411,100 to provide $1.55 per hour for permanent state employees, an additional $2,305,700 for community colleges, $6,042,800 for salary-schedule adjustments for employees at the minimum of their pay grade, and other targeted funding. It also includes $84,669,500 for public schools and the Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind. The committee reported a total of $128,350,490 from the general fund, $34,266,900 from dedicated funds, and $14,807,300 from federal funds toward the total package.

Why it matters: the language directs agencies to provide pay changes between $1.05 and $1.55 per hour “except in specific circumstances” and adds explicit provisions for market adjustments and reporting. Those provisions will change agency personnel costs across state government, and the committee required reporting to monitor implementation.

Committee language and mechanics The committee instructed that agencies must use the new funding for pay increases — any funding not used for pay must be reverted and reported to the Legislature. The package also shifts four salary schedules upward by at least $1.55 per hour: the primary schedule, IT/engineering, public safety, and nursing/healthcare schedules. In addition, the motion provides 4.5% targeted increases for IT and engineering staff and up to an 8% increase for Idaho State Police troopers. Nursing and healthcare workers are to receive either $1.55 per hour or 3%, whichever is greater.

The motion requires the Division of Human Resources and the Office of the State Comptroller to produce monthly reports identifying pay changes. Keith Bybee, Division Manager, Budget Policy Analysis, told the committee the reporting requirement is intended to help both this committee and the Change in Employee Compensation (CEC) committee “understand how the bonuses, if there are bonuses provided, what those look like, any other additional pay changes outside of that CEC window of implementation.”

Debate and recorded opposition Committee members debated whether the package adequately addresses pay compression and higher pay ranges. Senator Ward Engle King and Senator Wintrow both said they could not support the motion because it did not sufficiently address pay increases for employees earning above about $64,000, where they said market and retention problems persist. Senator Cook and Senator Woodward said they would support the motion while raising concerns about compression and merit.

Roll call and outcome The motion passed in committee. The roll-call summary announced at the hearing recorded the Senate vote as 8 ayes and 2 nays; the House reported unanimous support during the committee roll call. The motion will carry a due-pass recommendation to the floor.

What happens next If the change remains in floor action and is signed into law, the funding additions will appear in maintenance budgets and agencies must implement pay changes consistent with the committee language. The monthly reporting requirement will provide a mechanism for legislative oversight on the distribution and usage of the new funds.

"This motion strikes a balance between the needs of cost-of-living increases with a minimum $1.05 and the opportunity toward those who are higher performers up to $1.55," the committee cochair said in closing remarks.

The committee packet and the language approved by the committee will be available to the public when the maintenance bills hit the floor. The committee adjourned after completing its work for the day.