JFAC fails to set FY2026 revenue projection after divided votes; decision postponed

The Idaho Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee did not adopt a general fund revenue projection for fiscal year 2026 after a series of competing motions produced split votes in the Senate and House delegations.

An initial motion to adopt the Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee's recommended FY2026 projection of $6,400,000,000 was offered by Representative Petsky. Senator Woodward offered a substitute motion setting the FY2026 revenue projection at $6,330,000,000; the substitute was the first to be recorded and failed on a combined tally of 9 ayes to 11 nays (Senate: 8 ayes / 2 nays; House: 1 aye / 9 nays). The committee then voted on the original motion (the higher $6.4 billion figure); the chair announced a final roll tally that left the committee without a majority from both chambers and the original motion also failed. Because the committee requires a majority from both the Senate and House delegations to send numbers forward, members postponed a final FY2026 revenue decision for a later time.

Committee members debated the merits of three different forecasts during the discussion. Supporters of the higher economic-outlook number argued the committee's revenue-assessment panel crafted a reasonable conservative baseline; supporters of the compromise number argued for a more cautious estimate. Several members — including Representative Tanner, Senator Galloway and Senator Ward Engleking — described the substitute motion as a compromise between viewpoints.

With no bicameral majority on either the substitute or original motion, the committee did not set a FY2026 revenue baseline and will return to the question in a future meeting. Members proceeded to other statewide decisions during the session.