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 separately. A subsequent companion motion returned the same amount to the Broadband Office; both motions passed unanimously. The Department of Environmental Quality also received a correction to its appropriation to restore $2,000,000 that should have been treated as a transfer from the general fund.

- Targeted appropriation corrections: The Department of Health and Welfare had two smaller corrections: a $160,000 shift within the substance‑abuse treatment and prevention program and a $240,000 reduction tied to the central tumor registry fund, both enacted to move money into the appropriate operating‑expenditure categories for contract payments.

- Program‑maintenance budgets: JFAC set program‑maintenance totals for major functional areas and agencies, including (highlights): • Legislative Branch: $12,546,100 program maintenance (general and dedicated funds combined). • Judicial Branch: $96,696,300 program maintenance. • Constitutional officers (six of seven statewide elected offices): $73,630,300 program maintenance. • Public safety cluster (Department of Correction, Juvenile Corrections, State Police and others): $528,074,000 program maintenance and a 3,322.61 FTE cap. • General government cluster: $479,688,000 program maintenance. • Economic development cluster: $1,380,135,600 program maintenance and a 4,165.28 FTE cap. • Natural resources cluster: $513,855,000 program maintenance and a 1,632.40 FTE cap. • State Board of Education and affiliated programs: $1,099,940,000 program maintenance (some units retain no FTE cap; others do) and targeted reappropriation and tuition/fee carryover authorities. • Public school support: $3,166,965,700 total (including $2,651,787,500 from the general fund); no state FTE caps apply to school districts. • Health and Human Services (Department of Health and Welfare plus the State Independent Living Council): the committee later set a program‑maintenance total and approved multiple sections of controlling language (see separate article for more detail).

- Reappropriations and reporting conditions: For many agencies the committee approved one‑time carryover (reappropriation) authority for unexpended ARPA or dedicated funds and required periodic reporting (for example, DEQ reporting on water projects, judiciary technology uses, and workforce and childcare grant reappropriations).

Process and deferred items: Committee leadership said they were unable to reach consensus yesterday on the CEC revenue and health‑insurance numbers. Those items remain open; options include a multi‑agency bill to implement CEC adjustments or separate follow‑up votes once staff and work groups reconcile figures.

Votes at a glance: (summary of motions passed at the Jan. 17 JFAC meeting) - Broadband reappropriation technical correction (remove from Commerce program): mover Representative Handy; second Senator Cook; outcome: passed (20‑0). - Broadband reappropriation addition to Broadband Office (companion motion): mover Representative Handy; second Senator Cook; outcome: passed (20‑0). - DEQ appropriation correction (transfer from general fund): mover Senator Woodward; second Representative Manwaring; outcome: passed (20‑0). - Health & Welfare minor transfers (substance‑abuse program and tumor registry fund adjustments): mover Representative Price; outcome: passed (20‑0 for each). - Program‑maintenance budgets (legislative, judicial, constitutional officers, public safety, general government, economic development, natural resources, State Board of Education, public schools): multiple movers (Representative Miller and others); most motions carried unanimously (20‑0) except where recorded otherwise for larger packages (see Health & Human Services article for the exception).

What the language does: In many cases JFAC added or preserved statutory language to (a) allow limited transfers between expense classes for specific programs, (b) enable reappropriation/carryover of unspent ARPA or dedicated funds, (c) require accountability reports to Legislative Services, and (d) specify allowed uses for particular dedicated accounts (for example, water pollution control, broadband grant funds, and tuition/fee carryovers at colleges).

What’s next: Staff will draft the appropriation bills reflecting today’s motions; JFAC plans a review session next Friday to catch any technical drafting corrections before bills are introduced. The committee will reconvene on policy items still unresolved, chiefly the CEC adjustments and state health‑insurance funding.

Ending note: Committee members repeatedly praised staff work on compiling corrections and budgets. Several votes were unanimous; others required roll calls because of reappropriation language or fund transfers.