Idaho State president says forensic-pathology funds will be returned; pledges tighter controls

Idaho State University President Rob Wagner told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Jan. 29 that funds the Legislature had appropriated for an Eastern Idaho Forensic Pathology Center were largely transferred to a county under a memorandum of understanding and that the university will return the remaining appropriation to the state.

The announcement followed a staff presentation by Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, and a committee request for an audit into the matter. Campbell said a report prepared for the committee is online, and an audit has been requested and is “just now in process.” He also noted a technical review of the university’s tuition-and-fees fund data and said, “happily, ISU has not overdrawn its bank account.”

Why it matters: the exchange centered on legislative intent for appropriations and whether the university properly tracked and controlled state funds once they were accepted. Lawmakers pressed for accountability and a stronger institutional process to ensure future appropriations are used as the Legislature intended.

Wagner told the committee that ISU became aware of the situation in “late fall” and that the original plan called for the forensic lab to be housed on ISU’s Pocatello campus. He said ISU had expended “a small portion of those funds for a consultant” while planning a campus facility, but that county preferences later led to a decision, following an MOU, to transfer the remaining funds to the county. “Looking back in retrospect, I think, I believe, Idaho State University should have kept those funds,” Wagner said, adding that invoice procedures and clearer protocols should have been put in place.

Wagner described steps he is implementing to identify ownership of legislative funds and to track accountability lines more clearly when multiple parties are involved in carrying out projects. Representative Manwaring, who asked about ISU’s process, thanked Wagner for the decision to return the funds and for the report the university prepared. Committee co-chairs praised Wagner’s commitment to treating appropriation law as binding.

The committee asked that work-product and the audit be made available to members and the public; Campbell said the initial report is online and the audit is underway. No dollar amount for the consultant expense or the total transferred sum was provided during the presentation; Campbell said the portion spent on the project was “small” and the remainder will be returned.

The committee heard the exchange during its regular budget review of Idaho State University. Members asked whether the university’s internal controls and invoice procedures will be strengthened so that future appropriations are consistently managed under legislative intent. Wagner said ISU will revise internal procedures, track funds more deliberately, and accept responsibility for ensuring compliance with legislative directives.

The committee did not take formal action during the Jan. 29 session; members asked staff to continue the audit and follow up with ISU on the corrective steps and documentation.

Ending: Committee members thanked Wagner for the report and for his commitment to transparency. The audit and any additional documentation are expected to be posted for the committee and public review as they become available.