Idaho libraries ask committee to fold federal digital-access program into base to maintain services

The Idaho Commission for Libraries told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that it seeks ongoing state spending authority to sustain a federally funded digital-access program that the agency has been implementing with Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) broadband funds.

Brooke Dupree, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the commission anticipates more libraries will become eligible for reimbursement under the Education Opportunity Resource Act (chapter 56, title 33, Idaho Code) and is requesting $42,400 in ongoing funding for broadband reimbursements to increase the base to $275,000. The commission is also requesting $2,500,000 ongoing to continue implementing its Digital Access for All Idahoans plan, which was funded by federal broadband awards and is being spent over multiple years, the analyst said.

The request reflects a broader federal-state funding mix that has supported the commission’s recent work. Dupree said the spike in the commission’s receipts in fiscal years 2023–24 was driven in part by elementary and secondary emergency-relief (ESSER) funds used for summer programs and by a roughly $3.5 million one‑time ARPA Capital Projects Fund appropriation. The commission also received a multi‑year federal broadband grant that has supported planning and subgrants.

Why it matters: The commission said the digital-access awards are intended to reduce barriers to online access — affordability, digital skills, cybersecurity awareness and device access — by funding local digital navigators, devices and training. Agency leaders told the committee they expect most grant dollars to flow to local organizations: Stephanie Bailey White, state librarian and director of the Idaho Commission for Libraries, said about 80% of the funds are planned to be disbursed as subgrants to Idaho community organizations, community colleges, school districts and libraries.

Committee members pressed the agency on the wisdom of treating what started as federal, multi‑year money as ongoing state base funding. Chairman Grohl asked whether the funds could be awarded on a one‑time basis instead of being added to the state base. Several lawmakers said ongoing appropriation makes planning easier for local libraries, while others said permanent inclusion in the base creates an expectation state general funds will replace federal dollars after they end.

Summer reading and content concerns: Senator Carlson expressed concerns raised outside the hearing about material provided to children through summer reading programs. Director Bailey White told the committee that Idaho’s summer reading programs have been run for decades, that the commission’s direct monetary support is limited, and that recent paperback book distributions resulted from a donation (from the Scottish Rite Foundation), with books selected by the commission’s youth services consultant using collection-development criteria. Bailey White said those summer reading programs funded by ESSER are paid from miscellaneous revenue and that the federal subgrants to libraries come through federal grant funds for broader library services.

Program details and next steps: The commission said its planning work included statewide focus groups and measurable outcomes. It has hired staff, launched a first round of competitive subgrant applications (39 applicants), and is awaiting federal approval on those awards. Committee members asked the commission to provide a detailed breakdown of how the federal digital‑access funds have been and will be spent, and Dupree and Bailey White said they would follow up with that information for the committee.

What the agency requested and how it would be used: - $42,400 ongoing to increase the broadband reimbursement base to $275,000 (Education Opportunity Resource Act reimbursements). - $2,500,000 ongoing for continued implementation of the Digital Access for All Idahoans plan (federal IIJA funds/subgrants being administered by the commission; agency said funds are to be spent over multiple years). - Reappropriation and one‑time requests tied to prior ARPA capital projects and to digital‑access implementation were discussed.

The agency said it does not currently plan to make the program a permanent state-funded enterprise beyond the period covered by the federal awards and agreed to provide the committee with more detailed spending plans and itemized use of prior and current funds.