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Committee hears ISDA officials seek supplemental appropriations and deficiency warrant for exotic pests and quagga mussel response
Summary
The Joint Finance Committee reviewed Idaho Department of Agriculture requests to authorize a deficiency warrant and dedicated supplemental appropriations to cover exotic pest monitoring and recent quagga mussel treatments; the ISDA director emphasized statutory duty and described mitigation trade-offs if budget cuts reduce inspection station hours.
The Joint Finance Committee on Feb. 12 heard the Idaho State Department of Agriculture present its FY2026–27 budget and requests tied to invasive‑species response, including a $1,298,601 one‑time deficiency warrant for exotic pest monitoring and a $3,393,000 one‑time dedicated supplemental appropriation to cover quagga mussel treatment expenses from September–October 2025.
Why it matters: Director Michelle Tewalt framed the requests as actions compelled by Title 22, Chapter 19, which she said directs the agency to "control the species," not to treat eradication as optional. Tewalt said the department rapidly mobilized after quagga mussels were detected in the Snake River in 2023 and that, from 2024 to 2025, the agency reduced the area impacted on the Snake by about 50%.
Analyst report and fund context: Morgan Poloni, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office (the transcript also shows the name spelled 'Paloney' in earlier speaker lines),…
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