Millennium Fund committee recommendations split JFAC; youth assessment supplemental approved but FY2026 package fails in House

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee approved a $1,291,001 FY2025 supplemental from the Idaho Millennium Income Fund for youth assessment centers but did not pass the larger FY2026 Millennium Fund funding package recommended by the Millennium Fund Committee.

Senator Bjerke (Bierke) presented the Millennium Fund Committee’s recommendations and described the group’s focus on prevention spending tied to tobacco‑settlement proceeds, including a youth assessment survey and grants for education and public health campaigns. The committee’s FY2026 recommendation included $350,000 for a youth assessment survey, $500,000 to the Idaho State Police for a fentanyl campaign, $2.0 million for a second cohort of school resource officers, $1.5 million for after‑school programs, and $2.5 million for youth assessment centers, among other items.

The FY2025 supplemental to continue youth assessment center support — $1,291,001 one time — passed on a committee vote. The item was presented with seven subsections of language requiring sustainability plans, reporting, generally accepted accounting principles and provisions for independent audit where required.

However, when the committee took up the FY2026 Millennium Fund spending package recommended by the Millennium Fund Committee, members adopted a substitute motion that removed several items including the youth well‑being survey and after‑school funding; that substitute failed and then the original FY2026 motion was put to a vote. The Senate recorded a majority in favor but the House showed a split (tie) vote that resulted in the overall package failing to achieve the necessary majority across both houses. Committee members said the Millennium Fund has approximately $40 million on hand and emphasized that proposals were vetted across multiple meetings.

Why it matters

The Millennium Fund derives from tobacco‑settlement proceeds and is intended to support cessation and prevention activities. The committee debate highlighted differing views on how to prioritize the fund: whether to invest in school‑ and community‑based prevention and surveys aimed at youth well‑being or to limit appropriations to narrower efforts. Supporters argued that opt‑in, Idaho‑specific youth surveys and targeted prevention work are necessary to direct resources effectively. Opponents questioned whether some proposals (including after‑school programs) align tightly enough with the fund’s core prevention goals and raised concerns about effectiveness and the potential for duplication of existing programs.

Votes at a glance

- FY2025 supplemental for youth assessment centers: $1,291,001 one time from Idaho Millennium Income Fund — passed (Senate 9 aye/1 nay; House 10 aye; committee total passed). (Provenance: transcript lines beginning 3672.705; finishing 3791.77)

- FY2026 Millennium Fund package (committee recommendation including youth survey, fentanyl campaign, ISP personnel, after‑school programs, and youth assessment centers): motion ultimately failed in committee when House vote did not provide a majority across both houses (substitute rejected earlier; original motion failed due to House tie). (Provenance: transcript lines beginning 4065.655; finishing 5865.905)

Discussion highlights

Supporters emphasized prevention and youth outreach, noting the committee’s multi‑meeting vetting process and an opt‑in survey design aimed to gather Idaho‑specific data for local interventions. Opponents cautioned that some proposals resembled broad after‑school programming or mental‑health surveys rather than narrowly targeted cessation interventions; some members said the proposals risked duplicating federal or local programs and could be difficult to defend on the House floor.

Ending

The supplemental for youth assessment centers moves forward with reporting and sustainability conditions; the broader FY2026 Millennium Fund package will not advance from this committee in its present form. Committee chairs said items could be reconsidered at a later date or reworked for floor consideration.