Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jfac Votes March7 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: JFAC actions on community colleges, commerce, juvenile corrections and Department of Corrections (March 7)
Summary
The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee took votes on multiple budget items March 7, advancing several agency requests with due‑pass recommendations and deferring a library grant after a tied House vote; roll calls and key details are listed below.
This article summarizes formal motions and roll calls taken by the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on March 7 during FY2026 budget consideration.
Community colleges — enrollment workload adjustments and outcome‑based funding language Motion: Add $496,800 ongoing (College of Eastern Idaho), $690,000 ongoing (College of Southern Idaho), and $493,000 ongoing (College of Western Idaho) for enrollment workload adjustments; total additional $1,679,800 from the general fund for FY2026. The motion also included language directing the Office of the State Board of Education to develop an outcome‑based funding model and return to JFAC with a proposal by 12/31/2025 and implement by FY2028. Mover: Representative Pesky. Second: Senator Ward Engleking. Vote: Senate 9 aye, 1 nay; House 10 aye, 0 nay; combined 19 aye, 1 nay. Outcome: Passed; sent to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation.
Department of Commerce — broadband office program transfer (net zero) Motion: Transfer 1 FTE and $140,900 from the Commerce program to the Broadband Office program, net zero budgetary impact. Mover: Representative Handy. Second: Senator Bjerke. Vote: Senate 10 aye, 0 nay; House 10 aye, 0 nay; combined 20–0. Outcome: Passed; will carry a due‑pass recommendation.
Department of Juvenile Corrections — enhancements and IT modernization Motion: Add $300,000 ongoing from the general fund for substance‑use‑disorder residential treatment, add dedicated funds and IT modernization adjustments, and reduce 7 FTEs as part of a reclassification/IT modernization net‑0 transfer of personnel to operating. Mover: Senator Wintrow. Second: Representative Manwaring. Vote: Senate 8 aye, 2 nay; House 7 aye, 3 nay; combined 15 aye, 5 nay. Outcome: Passed; due‑pass recommendation.
Department of Corrections — management services enhancements Motion: Add $1,000,000 ongoing for a recidivism case management software enhancement, $668,100 for transparency software, various IT replacement items and replacement equipment and an $85,000 ongoing special assistant U.S. Attorney position for Northern Idaho as a governor initiative; total adjustments noted in the committee packet. Mover: Senator Galloway. Second: Representative Handy. Vote: Senate 8 aye, 2 nay; House 7 aye, 3 nay; combined 15 aye, 5 nay. Outcome: Passed; due‑pass recommendation.
Commission for Libraries — digital access grant (see separate article) Motion: Original motion to add $2,540,000 federal funds for the "Digital Access for All Idahoans" grant failed to carry a majority in the House (House 5–5 tie) after the substitute also failed to carry the House; item to be revisited.
How to read these results: Several motions passed with due‑pass recommendations to the floor. Where votes produced tied or split results across chambers, committee leadership noted procedural uncertainty and said failed items would be brought back to JFAC for further consideration rather than automatically routing to one chamber or the other.
Ending: Committee leadership said schedules and work groups will continue through the coming days; members were reminded the committee will reconvene for further budget work and to pick up items returned for reconsideration.
