Idaho JFAC adopts FY2025 revenue projection; FY2026 revenue floor postponed after split votes

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Friday adopted the Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee’s recommended general fund revenue projection for fiscal year 2025, but it failed to reach the committee’s required majority in both chambers for the fiscal year 2026 revenue projection and postponed that decision.

Senator Woodward moved that JFAC adopt the EORAC recommendation of $5,990,000,000 in general fund revenues for fiscal year 2025 for setting state agency budgets. The motion received support from members of both houses and passed unanimously at the committee level: the clerk read the roll showing 10 ayes in the Senate and 10 ayes in the House for a combined 20-0-0 tally. Chairman Groh declared the motion passed.

The committee considered revenue for fiscal year 2026 in multiple motions. The Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee’s recommendation for FY2026 was $6,400,000,000; the governor’s budget recommendation (a more conservative number) was shown in the packet as $6,261,000,000. Representative Petsky initially moved to adopt the EORAC recommendation of $6.4 billion; that motion drew substitute and alternative motions, including a compromise substitute by Senator Woodward for $6,330,000,000.

The committee first considered the substitute motion. After roll calls, the substitute motion failed to achieve the required majority from both houses (the combined tally was 8 ayes and 12 nays). The committee then voted on the original motion. The recorded roll calls showed the Senate voting 4 ayes and 6 nays while the House registered 10 ayes and 0 nays; because the committee requires a majority from both the House and the Senate to send budgets to the floors, the original motion also failed to meet the committee’s dual-majority requirement. Chairman Groh said the committee would postpone the FY2026 revenue decision to a future meeting.

The differing tallies and multiple substitute motions reflected a split among members over whether to use the higher EORAC forecast, the governor’s lower forecast, or a compromise number. Members who favored the higher EORAC number said it represented conservative baseline revenue the committee had vetted; members who favored a lower figure cited caution given economic uncertainty.

Ending: With the FY2025 revenue figure set, the committee proceeded to other statewide decisions; the FY2026 revenue number remained unresolved and is to be reconsidered at a later date.