Senator Lenny’s RS32014 to align Health and Welfare bureau chiefs with division standards sent to print

The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Jan. 24 voted to send RS32014 to print. The proposal from Sen. Brian Lenny would align bureau chief staffing and accountability with division-level standards inside the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the state’s largest agency.

"The Department of Health and Welfare is the largest agency in the state with somewhere hovering around 3,000 employees and a $6 billion budget," Lenny said while presenting the proposal. He told the committee that some Health and Welfare bureaus oversee hundreds of employees and millions of dollars in budget authority and that current oversight for bureau chiefs differs from that of division heads.

Lenny said the RS would require bureau staffing to align with division standards to increase accountability for taxpayer dollars. He cited examples that some bureaus — such as Benefit Field Operations, which he said has 418 FTEs — are larger than some entire state agencies. "Needless to say, we need accountability for our scarce taxpayer dollars, and that's what this RS is about," he said.

Senator Keiser moved to send RS32014 to print; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee recorded no questions or objections in the transcript during the introduction. The matter will be scheduled for a formal hearing where lawmakers, agency staff and stakeholders can provide testimony and proposed language details will be printed and examined.

If enacted, the measure would alter internal personnel and oversight practices within the Department of Health and Welfare by changing how bureau chiefs fit within the department’s chain of accountability. The committee closed consideration after the vote and adjourned its session.