JFAC approves FY2026 program-maintenance budgets, technical corrections and appropriations adjustments

BOISE — The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Friday, Jan. 17, voted to adopt a slate of technical corrections to the current fiscal year and to set program-maintenance budgets for FY2026 across state government agencies, approving reappropriations, transfers and clarifying budget language for multiple agencies.

The committee approved technical corrections that moved previously reappropriated funds into the newly created broadband office, corrected an appropriation transfer for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and adjusted appropriation categories inside the Department of Health and Welfare so contract payments are aligned with operating expenditure rules. It also voted to set the program-maintenance budgets — the baseline ongoing budgets before any new policy or enhancements — for nearly every major functional area, including legislative and judicial branches, constitutional officers, public safety, general government, economic development, natural resources, the State Board of Education, public schools and health and human services.

Why it matters: These votes establish the fiscal baseline the Legislature will use as it begins the budget-writing process. Program-maintenance budgets reflect ongoing operations as authorized by prior legislatures and incorporate only a limited set of statewide adjustments (contract inflation and statewide cost allocation) unless the committee specifically approved otherwise. The maintenance decisions do not themselves enact policy changes but determine the dollar amounts agencies may use in preparing detailed enhancement requests and statute-driven distributions.

What the committee did and how it voted

- Broadband reappropriation corrections: The committee approved two linked motions to remove $291,737,000 in reappropriated funds from the Department of Commerce’s commerce program and add the same $291,737,000 to the broadband office so those monies can be tracked in the broadband fund. Representative John Handy moved the adjustments; Senator Cook seconded. The committee voted 20 ayes, 0 nays on each motion.

- Department of Environmental Quality correction: The committee approved a one-time transfer and appropriation that corrects an item that had been treated as a reduction of DEQ’s general-fund appropriation instead of a general-fund transfer into the agency. Senator Woodward moved the $2,000,000 transfer; Representative Manwaring seconded. Vote: 20 ayes, 0 nays.

- Health and Welfare expenditure-category corrections: Two corrective actions in the Department of Health and Welfare were approved. Representative Price moved a reclassification of $160,000 in the Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Program (from trustee and benefit payments to operating expenditures) and an adjustment of $240,000 in the Physical Health Services Program (central tumor registry fund adjustment). Both motions passed unanimously (20–0).

- Program-maintenance budgets: The committee approved program-maintenance budgets across the government. Each vote was recorded by roll call and most passed unanimously. Examples (rounded to the figures used on the record): Legislative branch program maintenance of $12,546,100 (motion by Rep. Miller); Judicial branch program maintenance of roughly $96.7 million (Sen. Carlson); Constitutional officers’ maintenance budget of about $73.63 million (Rep. Tanner); Public safety maintenance budget totaling about $528.07 million (Sen. Wintrow); General government maintenance budget of about $479.69 million (Rep. Miller); Economic development functional area at roughly $1.380 billion (Sen. Woodward); Natural resources maintenance budget at about $513.855 million (Rep. Manwaring); State Board of Education package at about $1.100 billion (Sen. Ward Engelking); Public school support program maintenance totaling $3.1669657 billion (Rep. Miller); Health and Human Services maintenance (after base realignment) totaling $5.2630832 billion (Rep. Tanner). All listed maintenance motions carried as recorded during the meeting (most 20–0; HHS realignment and HHS budget votes included a small number of dissenting votes as recorded).

Key clarifications and budget-language items

- Several appropriations include reappropriation or carryover language for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) or other restricted funds (for example, legislative technology projects, judicial technology updates, broadband grants, workforce and childcare infrastructure grants and others). The language typically allows agencies to carry unspent, nonrecurring funds into the next fiscal year for the same purposes.

- The committee consistently included “conditions, limitations and restrictions” language across the maintenance bills and required accountability reporting language directing agencies to report on use of reappropriated or designated funds.

- For public schools, the committee carried multiple statutory distributions and program definitions into the maintenance language (professional development dollars, teacher compensation/career-ladder allocations, discretionary funds per support unit, health insurance allocations, classroom-technology distributions, English-proficiency and advanced-opportunity distributions). The maintenance bill consolidates some program definitions because the Legislature approved a student-support division in prior action; the committee provided a crosswalk and a definitions section to reduce ambiguity.

Quotes from analysts and staff

Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst: “These actions net to 0,” when describing the linked Commerce/broadband reappropriation corrections for transparency of tracking.

Mr. Bybee, Legislative Services Office: “A base budget is really your ongoing operations for the entire state government, as authorized by previous legislatures.” He framed the program-maintenance concept the committee used to set the FY2026 baselines.

Next steps and outlook

Committee chairs and staff said the bills will be drafted and brought back for a brief review next Friday; that session will check technical drafting and make any needed corrections before the bills go to the Legislature. The committee also deferred final decisions on additional statewide changes — notably additional changes to cost-of-living / CEC adjustments and health-insurance assumptions — to a future meeting once members and working groups can reach agreement.

Ending note: The Jan. 17 session set the structural baselines for the Legislature’s FY2026 budget work. Many of the maintenance-line items include conditions, carryover authority and reporting requirements that will guide agency spending and the next round of policy-level budget debates.