JFAC approves $2.58 million for library digital access but adds limits on diversity, equity and inclusion spending

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved funding for the Idaho Commission for Libraries’ broadband and digital access programs but adopted multiple pieces of accompanying language that generated debate, including a clause directing that state‑appropriated funds not be used to support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or “social justice ideology” in library‑sponsored activities.

Analyst Brooke Dupree summarized the commission’s FY2026 requests: $42,400 for broadband reimbursements to eligible libraries, $30,000 for federal subgrants (the commission had $40,000 available through a federal grant), and $2.5 million in federal funds for the “Digital Access for All Idahoans” grant. The committee considered a motion from Senator Carlson to fund $42,300 from the general fund for broadband reimbursement and $1,231,000 in one‑time federal operating expenditures for the digital access grant.…