JFAC approves multiple FY2025 supplements and FY2026 enhancements, including hazmat regional response transfer

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 14 approved a series of supplemental appropriations and fiscal year 2026 enhancement requests affecting state emergency response, public safety communications, veterans services, agriculture and several state agencies.

The committee unanimously approved a $34,200 one-time transfer from the general fund to the Hazardous Substance Emergency Response Fund to cover remaining fiscal 2024 cleanup costs. It also approved supplemental funding totaling $540,001 one-time to allow public safety communications to contract installation services for Idaho State Police vehicles and $759,200 one-time to upgrade information technology infrastructure and create an independent public-safety communications network.

The committee approved a fiscal 2026 transfer of $8,600,000 from the state Emergency Relief Fund to a miscellaneous revenue fund to provide new equipment to hazardous materials regional response teams housed at local fire departments. That transfer was moved and seconded by Representative Petzke and Senator Ward Engelking and passed with a roll call recorded in the transcript that showed 19–9/20-type tallies reported as a total of 19 ayes, 1 nay at points in the House and 9 ayes, 1 nay in the Senate for several items; individual recorded totals are listed below under "Votes."

Other approvals included: - Veterans services: program maintenance and enhancements that included a $1,200,000 internal transfer from operating expenditures to personnel to create a temporary nursing staffing pool, IT and equipment requests and reappropriation authority for federal construction grants for veterans homes. - Department of Agriculture: a $1,724,300 one-time transfer from the general fund to the pest control deficiency fund for invasive species monitoring and control, and FY2026 enhancements for investigator pay, fruit and…