Joint finance panel debates firefighting money for Department of Lands; mixed votes on supplemental and larger FY2027 package

The Joint Finance Committee considered multiple budget requests from the Department of Lands, including a contested FY2026 supplemental and a larger FY2027 enhancement package.

Analyst Janet Jessup presented the first request: a one‑time FY2026 add‑back of $125,000 to the forest and range fire protection program intended to offset prior reductions and help stand up firefighters for the 2026 fire season. Representative Miller moved the supplemental; Representative Petzke objected and said the Department of Lands previously received $1.25 million that she expected to benefit firefighters but that much of that money was paid to office and administrative staff rather than seasonal firefighters. “Only about a quarter of the awards...went to temporary firefighters,” Petzke said, and she opposed adding more money without clearer targeting.

After debate the committee voted the supplemental down; the chair announced the motion failed to achieve a majority in the House and therefore did not pass.

Jessup then described a second FY2026 reallocation request to move 1.25 full‑time equivalent (FTP) positions and $160,000 from the abandoned mines reclamation uses into the navigable waterways fund to align expenditures with statutory restrictions. Senator Hart moved that reallocation; the committee approved the request and the motion carried with a do‑pass recommendation.

Members then reviewed the Department’s FY2027 enhancement package, which included requests from dedicated funds to replace radio communications equipment, construct a vehicle storage facility near Priest Lake, purchase a utility vehicle for the Mica supervisory area, and several personnel realignments and replacement items recommended by the Office of Information Technology Services. Representative Petzke offered a substitute motion that removed a proposed $140,500 general‑fund restoration for fire preparedness in Eastern Idaho because of concerns about how prior bonus dollars were spent; she also proposed alternative combinations of dedicated‑fund restorations and transfers.

Dustin Miller, director of the Department of Lands, responded to questions about bonus payments and staffing. He described the Eastern Idaho Fire Protection District and said the funding was used to hire and pay seasonal firefighters and to support a broader master fire agreement with federal agencies; Miller defended the department’s use of bonuses as an efficiency to retain staff and ensure qualifications on the fire line.

After further motions and votes the committee approved a substitute configuration of the FY2027 package that reflected agreed changes and accepted accompanying language directing transfers to the Idaho Geological Survey for a specified enhancement. That combination carried a do‑pass recommendation to the floor.

Next steps: the committee carried the Lands packages and associated language forward with do‑pass recommendations; the failed $125,000 FY2026 supplemental will not proceed from this committee.