JFAC hears library request to continue federal digital-access grants as senators press on summer-reading materials

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on [date not specified] heard the Idaho Commission for Libraries present budget requests tied to federal digital-access funding and local library grants.

The library commission asked the committee to approve continued base spending authority tied to the Digital Access for All Idahoans federal grant (authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) and requested an ongoing $2,500,000-level reimbursement and subgranting authority to expand digital access, including digital navigators, devices and digital-skills training distributed through libraries and community organizations. Brooke Dupree, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, briefed the committee and identified that the grant funding is available through 02/2032 and that the agency expects additional notices of award. Dupree said the commission is asking to roll part of the grant into the agency base because it anticipates more libraries will become eligible for reimbursement than current base funding covers.

The request prompted questions from multiple committee members about whether the federal grant should be treated as ongoing base funding. Senator Grow (chair) and others said they were concerned that turning a time-limited federal grant into ongoing state funding could create an expectation that the state would continue the work once federal awards end. Dupree told the committee the technical reason the item appears as ongoing in the budget is that the agency anticipates additional awards and that rolling the grant into the base would include a base reduction after the grant funds are expended unless the committee directs otherwise.

State librarian Stephanie Bailey White described how the money will be used if the committee approves the request. "Eighty percent of the funds are planned to go out through subgrants to Idaho organizations, our community colleges, school districts," Bailey White said, adding that subgrantees will hire digital navigators, provide tech support, and run digital-skills training. She also said some funds will buy laptops that are then subgranted to libraries and that the commission will use some funds for personnel to implement and oversee the program. Bailey White said the commission launched a first round of subgrant applications and received 39 applications in the first round.

Committee members also pressed the commission on summer-reading programs after a senator raised concerns about materials provided to children. Senator Carlson asked for detail on how summer-reading materials are distributed and who chooses them. Bailey White said summer-reading programs are currently funded with ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds that flow into the miscellaneous revenue fund; the commission provides manuals, posters and some discounted paperback books to libraries but does not run a large grant program specifically for summer reading. She said libraries received about $17,500 this year from the Scottish Rite Foundation to purchase paperback books as incentives and that the commission supplied about 107,000 children with summer-reading opportunities last year, a 30% increase from the previous year.

On selection of giveaway books, Bailey White said a youth-services consultant with a library-science degree selects the book sets using collection-development criteria and that the commission added a disclaimer when shipping the materials. She also said the commission reviewed and removed items several years ago that were judged inappropriate for the youngest audiences and updated policies to comply with state obscenity laws.

Committee members asked for follow-up materials: an itemized plan for how the Digital Access for All Idahoans funds will be expended over the remaining grant period, a breakdown of the first-round subgrants, and detailed information about summer-reading materials and distribution. Dupree and Bailey White agreed to provide the requested documentation to the committee.

Bailey White closed by noting the commission is coordinating with the Idaho Broadband Office to implement the plan and encouraged committee members to contact the commission with follow-up questions.