Legislative committee directs Millennium Fund dollars to after‑school programs, juvenile assessment centers and fentanyl campaign

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee voted to allocate Idaho Millennium Fund dollars to a fentanyl awareness campaign, after‑school programming, juvenile assessment centers and related items, and adopted language setting distribution rules and program requirements for the tobacco‑settlement income fund.

The committee voted to approve an approximately $6.71 million dedicated‑fund package that included $500,000 for Idaho State Police for a fentanyl campaign, $1.5 million for the State Department of Education for after‑school programs, and $2,500,000 one‑time to the Department of Juvenile Corrections for youth assessment centers, among other items. The committee adopted accompanying intent language on program use, reporting and the priority that Millennium Income Fund resources be used first for programs benefiting Idahoans under age 18.

Why it matters: The Idaho Millennium Fund receives recurring settlements from tobacco companies; the committee’s decisions allocate that dedicated revenue to youth‑oriented prevention, recovery and juvenile services rather than to Medicaid or other lines. The language adopted directs how awards are distributed and places reporting and nonprofit‑status restrictions on recovery‑center funding.

Jared Tetroult, deputy division manager of budget and policy analysis with Legislative Services, told the committee the Millennium Fund receives roughly $25 million a year from the national master settlement and that state law (Idaho Code) assigns the Joint Millennium Fund Committee responsibility for recommending uses of those funds. He said the committee’s recommendations included grants and programming for youth assessment centers, after‑school prevention work, and administrative costs tied to previous grant agreements.

Representative Galleries (motion maker) moved the package that, in the committee’s description, included funding for a youth assessment survey (later removed from the package), a fentanyl awareness campaign conducted with Idaho State Police, after‑school programming tied to prevention and cessation education, school‑resource officer support and money to support recovery and assessment centers. The motion provided reappropriation authority for juvenile corrections for amounts approved as an FY2025 supplemental and authorized departments to align the awards with the statutory and constitutional requirements of the Millennium Fund.

The committee adopted language that: - Requires after‑school program dollars to be used by school districts and public charter schools for programs that provide education on prevention and cessation of tobacco, alcohol and other substances and to comply with statutory age requirements; - Defines recovery centers as nonprofit entities for the purpose of Millennium Fund appropriations, sets quarterly distribution procedures and requires department oversight and notification to Legislative Services and the Governor’s Office in cases of misuse; and - States that funding priority should be services for Idahoans under 18 and for adults with higher risk factors, and recommends that Millennium Fund dollars not be used to supplant Medicaid.

On the committee floor, members noted the elimination of certain line items the committee had considered in earlier drafts (such as Idaho Public Television operational costs and a youth assessment survey) and discussed the need for safeguards to ensure that state dollars go to nonprofit centers and programs that meet the stated prevention and treatment goals. The motion passed in committee with 19 ayes and 1 nay (Senate 9–1; House 10–0 by roll call), and the committee sent the package forward with a do‑pass recommendation.

Next steps: The language and the fiscal items will be incorporated into the Millennium Fund appropriation bill and proceed to the House and Senate floors. Departments receiving the funds will be required to provide the reporting the committee specified.