JFAC approves multiple agency budget supplements, enhancements and transfers; one ombudsman request fails House

Boise — The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Valentine’s Day advanced a slate of supplemental appropriations, FY2026 enhancement requests and fund transfers affecting Idaho’s Military Division, veterans services, agriculture, insurance, higher-education special programs and several other agencies.

The committee approved multiple one-time and ongoing funding requests, many by unanimous or near-unanimous roll-call votes. A separate motion to add $50,000 for a new Office of Health and Social Services ombudsman failed to pass the House side and will be taken up later.

Why this matters: The motions moved and voted on Thursday adjust next year’s spending plan and authorize use or transfer of existing state funds for hazard response, public-safety communications, IT upgrades, veterans homes, invasive-species control, medical residencies and other programs. Several items also included language requiring follow-up reports to the committee.

Most significant actions - Military Division: The committee approved multiple items for the Military Division, including a $34,200 one-time transfer from the general fund to reimburse hazardous materials cleanup costs; a $540,001 one-time appropriation for public safety communications installation support; and $759,200 one-time for IT infrastructure and licensing to create an independent public-safety communications network. The committee also approved FY2026 adjustments including a new network-administrator position, IT allocations, replacement vehicles and equipment, and an $8,600,000 transfer from the continuously appropriated State Emergency Relief Fund into the division’s miscellaneous revenue fund to equip regional hazardous-materials response teams.

- Veterans services: JFAC approved FY2026 requests that include a personnel reallocation of $1.2 million to create a temporary nursing staffing pool for…