Committee reviews library budget requests, discusses federal "Digital Access for All Idahoans" grant and summer reading supports

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee heard an overview of the Idaho Commission for Libraries’ budget and asked the agency to provide more detail on how federal broadband and digital‑access funds will be spent.

Budget analyst Brooke Dupree told the committee the commission supports 850 Idaho libraries and that recent spikes in receipts reflect federal pandemic and ARPA funding, including ESSER and an ARPA Capital Projects Fund award. Dupree said the agency is requesting an ongoing increase of $2,500,000 tied to the Digital Access for All Idahoans grant and a $42,400 ongoing broadband reimbursement under the Education Opportunity Resource Act (chapter 56 of title 33, Idaho Code). She said the commission anticipates more libraries will qualify for reimbursement than current base funding covers.

Committee members pressed the agency about the Digital Access for All Idahoans grant and how the funds will be used. State Librarian Stephanie Bailey White said the commission was an early recipient of federal funds and has launched subgrant rounds. She said about 80% of the funds are planned to be distributed through competitive subgrants to Idaho organizations — community colleges, school districts, libraries and nonprofits — to hire digital navigators, provide device purchases (for example laptops), deliver digital‑skills training and cybersecurity awareness, and offer tech support. Bailey White said the program launched its first subgrant round only after the federal allocation arrived in November and that additional notices of funding opportunities remain possible.

Senators asked whether the $2.5 million request should be treated as ongoing base funding because past federal grants create pressure to continue programs with state money after federal dollars expire. Dupree and Bailey White said the federal award can be spent over multiple years and that the commission expects additional notices of award through the NTIA; Bailey White said the current grant funds will be available to spend through February 2032 and that the agency prefers predictable spending authority but acknowledged the committee could consider one‑time funding instead of rolling the amount into the base.

Committee members also questioned summer reading program materials after a senator raised concerns about appropriateness. Bailey White described Idaho’s summer reading program as a longstanding, low‑cost program that supports reading retention. She said the commission provides program guides, posters and in recent years shipped paperback books — funded in part by a donation from the Scottish Rite Foundation (about $17,500 this year) — and that local libraries retain authority to select materials and run incentives. Bailey White told the committee the commission’s youth services consultant, a trained librarian, curated the donated paperback sets and that libraries receive guidance consistent with the agency’s collection development criteria. She said about 107,000 children participated in Idaho summer reading last year, a roughly 30% increase over the prior year.

The committee requested follow‑up material: an itemized plan for Digital Access for All Idahoans spending (how many subgrants, device counts, amounts for navigators vs. devices vs. training), and documentation on how summer reading incentives and donated books are selected and distributed.

The agency stated the governor recommends the requested enhancements. No formal committee votes took place during the discussion.

The committee moved on after the agency said it would provide the requested follow‑up documents and examples of previously funded subgrant applications.