JFAC approves program-maintenance budgets and technical corrections; CEC and health‑insurance deliberations deferred

BOISE — The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Friday approved a package of technical corrections and program‑maintenance budgets covering agencies from the Legislative Branch to Health and Human Services, while deferring decisions on cost‑of‑employment calculations (CEC) and health‑insurance funding. Committee members said the two outstanding items will be resolved at a later meeting.

The committee’s consent work included administrative fixes — most notably shifting last year’s reappropriated broadband monies into the newly created Broadband Office — and corrections to appropriations for the Department of Environmental Quality and other agencies. Janet Jessup, a budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, told the committee the broadband correction “would remove the monies that were reappropriated to the commerce program, and then also add them back into the broadband office so they can be tracked for transparency moving forward.”

Why it matters: The votes set the baseline “maintenance” budgets that lawmakers will use during the remainder of the 2026 budget process. These votes generally preserve ongoing programs at levels set by previous legislatures while carrying forward one‑time grants and authorizing certain reappropriations, reporting requirements and limited transfer exemptions.

What the committee approved - Technical corrections and reappropriations: the committee moved $291,737,000 in reappropriated funds tied to broadband from the Department of Commerce’s commerce program into the Broadband Office so those dollars are tracked…