Public health division asks legislature to restore ongoing programs, funds data modernization and workforce incentives

The Division of Public Health Services at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare asked the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee on Monday to restore a range of ongoing public-health programs, fund one-time data modernization projects paid largely with federal dollars, and continue several workforce incentives aimed at rural areas. Director Alex Adams presented the agency's request and answered legislators' questions alongside Division Administrator Elke Shaw Tullock and fiscal staff.

Why it matters: The division administers core public-health functions — immunizations, vital records, laboratory testing, suicide prevention, emergency medical services and other programs — that affect immunization access for children, disease surveillance, maternal-child services and local public-health districts across Idaho. Committee members pressed officials for detail on how federal ARPA and CARES Act carry-over funds and new ongoing appropriations interact with the base budget.

Adams and division staff described a structural budget shift created when several previously ongoing programs were reclassified as one-time appropriations in recent years. The department reported a fiscal-year 2025 original appropriation of $164,020,000 for the division; roughly half of that goes to trustee and benefit…