JFAC funds staffing, archives move and transfers remaining America250 balance to a dedicated fund

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 24 approved a supplemental package and related trailer bill measures for the Idaho State Historical Society, funding staff and archive-moving costs and transferring the remaining balance of an earlier America250 appropriation into a dedicated commemoration fund at the state treasurer’s office.

Legislative analysts told the committee the Historical Society requested $141,000 for two positions at the Old Idaho Penitentiary (a store manager and an education specialist), $62,900 for a limited-service archivist technician to create an online registry, $450,000 for one-time state collections and archival moving costs (part of a two-year plan), and $90,200 for IT equipment recommended by the Office of Information Technology Services. The motion on the floor combined those requests into a fiscal-year 2026 program maintenance addition totaling $744,100 and three full-time-equivalent positions; the motion carried by roll call (total: 14 ayes, 6 nays).

Separately, the committee considered a trailer bill to House Bill 357 establishing an America250 Commemoration Fund and council oversight. Legislative Services staff reported the original appropriation to the Historical Society was $1,650,000; $128,725 of that amount had been expended and a remaining balance of approximately $821,200 was available. The committee voted to transfer that remaining balance into the America250 Commemoration Fund and to appropriate the same amount to the State Treasurer’s Office to hold and reappropriate as directed; both motions passed unanimously with 20 ayes.

Representative Tanner asked whether moving costs had been previously funded; Legislative Services staff and the Historical Society’s director clarified the original appropriation paid for the building but did not include funds for moving archival collections into a climate-controlled facility. Committee members confirmed the $450,000 moving request is a one-time expense and that the Historical Society expects total moving costs to be roughly $900,000 over two years.

The committee recorded due-pass recommendations for the supplemental, the trailer bill transfer to the America250 fund, and the treasurer appropriation. Committee discussion focused on scope, one-time versus ongoing status of the line items, and ensuring that remaining funds for America250 were placed under the oversight structure set out in House Bill 357.