JFAC staff roll out SharePoint, session record and new LSO impact review team to support budget work

Keith Bybee, division manager for the Legislative Services Office Budget and Policy Analysis Team, demonstrated how committee members and the public can access the legislative budget book, agency presentations and motion sheets via a new JFAC SharePoint site and the legislature’s session record.

Bybee walked members through the process of downloading files to edit and annotate offline, recommended saving files locally rather than working in read‑only mode, and explained a new naming convention analysts will use so members can find agency materials quickly. He said the SharePoint site mirrors OneDrive functionality and that files are publicly available via the session record on legislature.idaho.gov.

Bybee offered practical tips and encouraged members to meet with staff for one‑on‑one help: “If there’s ever a chance and you need some additional instruction or help or you just have questions that you don’t wanna ask in committee, I’ll be available. My staff will be available. Please just come and set up some time with us and we'll find some time and and go through all of the questions.”

The session record and archives

Bybee showed members how to navigate the session record by agency and date to stream past hearings, access slide decks and review video and audio of prior meetings. He noted that interim and orientation meetings, including a December orientation, are already archived and available to the public.

LSO staffing and an impact review team

Paul Headley, deputy chief at LSO, introduced a new legislative impact review team of five analysts who will support JFAC this session by producing short research memos, 1–2 page summaries, mapping and targeted analysis to help evaluate program evidence. Headley said the team’s work “can be as simple as responding to a question in an email, can do a 1 page, 2 page document, and can, even dive deeper into doing research.” He emphasized evidence as the team’s focus: “there’s 1 word or 1 theme that kinda continues to rise to the top and that's evidence.”

Headley and Bybee listed analysts assigned to JFAC: Jared Tetreault (deputy manager, public school support), Shane Winslow (data systems coordinator), Janet Jessup (natural resources analyst and appropriations bill coordinator), Frances Lippitt (capital budgets and CEC), Alex Williamson (health and welfare), Brooke Dupree (transportation, commerce, labor) and several newer analysts assigned to public safety, higher education and statewide elected officials. Two research fellows placed by the McClure Center for Public Policy will assist with performance and evaluation work.

Hearing schedule and work groups

Bybee also reviewed the JFAC hearing schedule: the committee will meet each morning with agency hearings and then work groups will convene mid‑morning to do in‑depth work on assigned portfolios. He said week one is an orientation and week two begins agency hearings with Health and Welfare and education agencies; program maintenance budgets are scheduled to be set on Friday, Jan. 17. Bybee asked members to connect with analysts early and said staff will support file access and individual training.

Why it matters

The SharePoint and session record workflow centralizes committee documents, makes them searchable for members and the public, and reduces duplication of printed budget books. LSO’s new impact review team gives JFAC on‑demand research capacity for performance evidence and program evaluation while the committee breaks into work groups for line‑by‑line budget setting.

Ending

Bybee and Headley told members to contact LSO staff for individualized SharePoint or session‑record help and to begin meeting with assigned analysts before work groups convene.