Joint finance panel debates higher-education cuts, orders DEI audits and oversight language

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee considered competing versions of the fiscal 2026 college and university budget Thursday, including a motion that would reduce $2,000,000 ongoing from Boise State University and $2,000,000 ongoing from the University of Idaho and a substitute that removed those cuts.

The committee ultimately failed a substitute motion 10-10 and then sent the original college-and-university motion to the Senate after the Senate side of the joint committee did not record a majority in favor. Separately the committee approved language requiring legislative audits of university DEI compliance and added oversight provisions related to ICOM negotiations and reporting to the committee.

Why it matters: The votes and the attached language aim to assert legislative oversight over how public universities handle programs and expenditures related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and to set conditions governing negotiation transparency for a potential University of Phoenix transaction that some lawmakers questioned. The outcomes will shape conversations on both the House floor and in the separate Senate consideration and set priorities for audits and reporting.

Representative Bryce moved the primary budget motion that included multiple line items: an operational capacity enhancement of $3,369,900; a health‑benefits correction for FY2025 that reduced operating expenditures offset by personnel cost changes;…