JFAC approves technical corrections to maintenance bills and caps constitutional officers' FTEs

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Feb. 6 approved technical corrections to maintenance‑bill language for public schools and a health program and adopted a roll‑call motion capping constitutional officers' full‑time equivalent positions at 431.9.

Committee staff told members the changes were editorial or corrective and intended to reflect organizational shifts and fix a typographical error. Jared Tetreault, deputy manager, Budget Division, Legislative Services, said the public‑schools correction adds the Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA) to longstanding program‑transfer exemptions so the academy — now its own division — would not be forced into simultaneous deposit/withdraw transactions under the transfer limits.

Alex Williamson, budget and policy analyst, said the health and human services correction fixes cross‑references for funds tied to what the analyst described as the Millennium Income Fund language for an Idaho youth drug program; the change directs the appropriation to the correct section of the maintenance bill.

Keith Bybee, division manager for budget policy analysis, told the committee a typographical error in the constitutional officers' personnel cap table required a numeric correction. The committee adopted that change by roll call. The motion to cap constitutional officers at 431.9 FTEs passed with a unanimous recorded vote. The committee also accepted the two drafting corrections by unanimous consent.

Why it matters: The corrections are procedural but can affect how agencies may transfer or record funds and the stated FTE caps that limit hiring authority. Members and staff said the fixes avoid unintended consequences from earlier drafting and ensure the maintenance bills reflect current organizational structures.

The committee did not change policy direction with these items; members described them as technical and moved them forward to the floor with due‑pass recommendations.

Quotes from the hearing: "Pretty simple fixes. We'll get those up and running," said Keith Bybee, Division Manager, Budget Policy Analysis. "IDLA is now its own budget. That's why we're doing this," Jared Tetreault said when explaining the public schools language change.

Ending: Committee staff said they would incorporate the corrected language into the program‑maintenance packages that will be available when the bills reach the floor.