Idaho budget panel hears larger quagga-mussel response, investigator-pay and vehicle replacement requests from Department of Agriculture

For the record, Frances Lippett, budget and policy analyst for the legislative services office, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that the Idaho Department of Agriculture is seeking continued funding for invasive‑species response and internal staffing adjustments.

Lippett said the department received a one‑time $5,000,000 general‑fund infusion during the prior legislative session for quagga‑mussel response and an ongoing $1.5 million general‑fund appropriation for staffing and check‑station needs. "In fiscal year 2025, the department did receive an ongoing appropriation of 1 and a half million from the general fund, and that was primarily for staffing and ... building additional watercraft inspection stations," Lippett said.

The money supported increased statewide sampling and more watercraft inspections, Director Chanel Tewell told the committee. "We doubled the sampling statewide ... and almost double the amount of watercraft we inspected last year compared…