Department of Lands seeks staff and one‑time funding as committee discusses fire suppression fund, timber protective associations and Good Neighbor Authority

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Oct. 24 reviewed the Idaho Department of Lands’ fiscal 2026 budget and several fire‑related funding issues, including the fire suppression deficiency warrant fund, payments to Timber Protective Associations (TPAs), and the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) program.

Janet Jessup, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, described the Department of Lands as one of Idaho’s 20 executive departments and said its budget includes multiple dedicated funds. "The largest of the dedicated funds is the Department of Lands Fund," she said, adding the department’s receipts come from many statutorily directed sources. Jessup told the committee the fire suppression deficiency warrant fund is continuously appropriated, has been prefunded by the legislature since 2015 and functions like a special reimbursement account for catastrophic fire costs.

Jessup summarized the governor’s recommendations affecting the department: a proposed $60 million supplemental transfer from the general fund into the fire suppression deficiency fund for the current year and a…