Week Two | Idaho Legislative Update

January 16 - 20, 2023

In the second week of the Sixty-Seventh Idaho Legislature’s First Regular Session, legislators have started to get their feet under them as committees ramp up the process of administrative rules and introducing bills. Some new members of the Legislature are being sure to ask plenty of questions in their committees, while others are already running their first bills. The fanfare and excitement of the first week have faded, and Idaho is now engrossed in the session’s work.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) members began budget hearings this week. Each agency, starting this week, gives a budget request overview and preps for extensive sessions on budgets with numerous pointed questions. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) spent most of the week in JFAC reviewing the various divisions they oversee. Many members are looking for ways to cut spending and limit the use of federal funds but need a complete understanding of the process first.

Many of the eleven (11) new JFAC members have been extremely critical of the budget presentations thus far, peppering the agency directors and staff with questions about programs, operations, costs, and more. It has been interesting to see how the new Co-Chairs and Co-Vice Chairs manage the committee, and it will only be more interesting once they decide how to vote, as the budget-setting process begins in a couple of short weeks.

The first major political battle in the Capitol this year, led by Speaker Moyle, is changing JFAC rules to force the House and Senate members to vote separately. Historically, all members will vote during the same roll call vote. If this rule were to change, the process could be weaponized to sink different agency budgets. Speaker Moyle has stated that the change would eliminate arguments on the House Floor for contentious budgets. Still, many, including most senators, are skeptical of this effort. It has stalled the traditional work of passing supplemental adjustments (spending from last year) and deficiency warrants (past-due bills from agencies).

Another major fight in the Capitol is the possible change to the rule’s approval process. Typically, committees consider new rules in the first few weeks of the session. Still, many committees have opted to consider approval of their assigned administrative rules at the end of the legislative session. This change is largely due to the House wanting to have all rules pass both bodies before being ratified. Currently, rules go into effect if either chamber accepts them.

Amidst the many political and social bills introduced in the first two weeks of the session, the first significant priority bill was unanimously introduced in House Commerce Thursday afternoon. House Bill 19, the “Idaho Launch Grant Program and In Demand Careers Fund,” will now be considered in committee as early as next week.

The goal is to allow graduating Idaho high school students graduating in 2024 and beyond to apply for a grant of up to $8,500. Grants are distributed through the Idaho Launch website portal, where students can select a program for workforce training, CTE, community college, or an Idaho college of their choice. Up to $10 million of the remaining appropriated funds are to provide additional funding to eligible students or adult learners.

Funds for the Opportunity Scholarship Program and Postsecondary Credit Scholarship will transfer to the Governor’s program to further workforce training for in-demand careers as these funds are sunset on June 30, 2023. Doing this will add $22 million of additional funds to be used on top of the $80 million currently earmarked for the In-Demand Careers fund, totaling $102 million for investments into our future needed workforce.

We are officially in the throes of the session; legislators are drafting and redrafting bills, and committees have begun their work. We have a lot of work ahead of us. But despite a new class of legislators this session, they are working together, and we are making progress hourly and daily. You can track our progress on bills, budgets, and rules we are monitoring on our Bill Tracker.