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Committee debates additional bill‑drafter for Legislative Services Office; approves language on budget timing and interagency billing review
Summary
Lawmakers considered and sent to the Senate a motion to add one bill‑drafting attorney to LSO but did not gain Senate majority; the committee later approved language asking the governor for an earlier budget transmittal and directing LSO to review interagency billing and a new statewide budget platform.
The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee considered a request to add one bill‑drafting attorney (1 FTE) and $129,000 to the Legislative Services Office budget and debated staffing levels compared with peer states before the motion failed to receive a majority in the Senate.
Division manager Keith Bybee presented the Legislative Services Office request and LSO materials showing Idaho’s permanent staff levels relative to other states. Co‑chairs and senators noted the office’s workload has increased with a higher number of bill drafts in the session. Senator Hart and other members compared Idaho with neighboring states’ staff‑per‑capita and voiced support for additional help; opponents argued the committee should hold agencies to the same constraints it has applied elsewhere and questioned whether immediate funding was appropriate.
The motion to add 1 FTE and $129,000 passed the House but did not pass the Senate: combined committee tally was 13 ayes and 7 nays (Senate: 4 ayes, 6 nays; House: 9 ayes, 1 nay). Because the motion failed to achieve a Senate affirmative majority, the request will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
Separately, the committee approved language directing the governor to transmit the 2027 budget recommendation to the legislative branch by mid‑December and asked the Legislative Services Office to conduct a statewide review of interagency reimbursement practices and to explore development of a new statewide budget submission platform. That language passed with a combined tally of 19 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent excused.
Committee leaders said the language aims to give LSO staff earlier access to executive‑branch budget materials, reduce late‑session workload and to examine whether agencies should reimburse LSO for drafting executive‑branch legislation or other services. Members noted technical and platform constraints affect timing and recommended collaboration with the Division of Financial Management.
The committee sent both the staffing motion (for further Senate consideration) and the approved language forward as part of its packet.
