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State seeks fund shifts to meet federal limits on administrative spending for substance use grants
Summary
The Department asked the committee to approve fund-source shifts so personnel costs can be covered by non-federal sources while federal substance use funds are used primarily for trustee and benefit payments; the move is intended to bring Idaho into compliance with a federal 5% administrative cap for the block grant.
Alex Williamson presented the Division of Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention budget and described recent federal grants, opioid settlement money and a compliance issue with the federal Substance Use Block Grant administrative cap.
Williamson said a federal change placed Idaho on a corrective action plan because state spending had exceeded the 5% cap for administrative or personnel spending under the substance use block grant. To resolve the compliance issue while retaining current staff levels, the division asked to shift $533,900 from liquor control funds to pay personnel costs and to move $673,900 from personnel to trustee-and-benefit payments on federal funds. Williamson described the proposal as a fund-source swap that preserves staffing while aligning federal reporting with federal limits.
Senator Cook pressed whether the proposed change was effectively a response to a federal "hand slap." "It sounds like we got our hands slapped because we were spending too much on administrative fees. And instead of fixing the problem, we're just going to shift some money so it doesn't look like we stay underneath the 5%," Cook said. Williamson responded that the department's approach uses available non-federal funds to pay personnel so the federal block-grant dollars can be used for services.
Director Adams told the committee the department tried to reduce personnel in the affected program where possible and highlighted other budget moves. "We did propose a net reduction in FTP, as well as a net reduction in personnel costs," Adams said, noting the department reduced the program's authorized FTP from 16 to 12.
Committee members also asked about opioid-settlement-funded programs and local initiatives. Adams said the department was a pass-through for several Millennium Fund and opioid settlement awards and offered to provide written follow-ups on program outcomes, including a Boise State collegiate recovery program. "BSU staff have established the collegiate recovery program on campus. Today, they have hosted 7 social events for 375 students," Adams said, but he also stressed that DHW serves as a check-writing pass-through and does not operate those programs.
Why it matters: the fund-source swap would preserve staff while bringing federal spending category percentages back into federal compliance; members questioned whether such swaps address underlying administrative spending choices.
What comes next: the committee will review the requested fund-source adjustments as part of the division's appropriation. The department offered to follow up with written reports on opioid-settlement projects and the Millennium Fund uses.
