WEEK THREE | 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
January 22 - 26, 2024
In the third week of the Sixty-Seventh Idaho Legislature’s Second Regular Session, we have entered the uniquely Idahoan process of negotiations between the Republican majority. Senate, House, and the Governor are now working towards agreement on big-ticket policy items. While each entity has a variation on how to move things forward in Idaho, the politicking and scrums between the members of the Governor’s staff and House and Senate leadership began to yield results this week. In a series of meetings, the leadership and staff worked to develop a roadmap for the remaining weeks of the session. This part of the session often goes unseen and unreported but yields several large outcomes. Income tax cuts, school facilities funding, transportation funding, education programs, and more will be coming out as policy wins with leadership support as early as next week.
JFAC had more delays this week, as the committee did not meet to vote on budgets Friday as planned. The result of maintenance budgets being passed in week one and the traditional budget setting process being overhauled by the Co-chairs this year may yield a faster process in future years. Still, this session the committee is feeling the pains of implementing a new system. The new process has created some confusion, a hefty dose of frustration, and some setbacks as the joint committee members continue to work in ad hoc sub-committees to address funding challenges and produce a second wave of funding bills for agencies waiting in a sort of political purgatory as the new process unfolds.
Other points of interest this week are the general acceptance of the Governor’s budget and forecast, a blanket 1% increase in change in employee compensation being incorporated into maintenance budgets. With the belief that more CEC funding will come as budgets are finalized and the Senate continues its speedy work to clear the lengthy list of appointment confirmations. Other big-ticket items, including Idaho Launch funding and potential policy changes to the program, continued to be tinkered with. The fight over Medicaid continues as bills have been introduced in the House to adjust the program and potentially establish additional criteria on one hand and on the other, a bill to give legislative authority over changes to the program. Also, several contentious bills made progress through the House this week as House Bill 406 (Fentanyl trafficking) cleared the House Judiciary and Rules Committee in a 15-3 vote and now moves to the House Floor with over 30 Co-sponsors as of Friday. House Bill 415 (Concealed weapons, school property) cleared House State Affairs with an 11-2 vote. House Bill 386 (Charter schools) also cleared the House Education Committee on a 15-1 vote.
The rules process continues as committees lumber through the changes and reductions to rules dockets negotiated over the summer and fall. While many rules have moved forward, other rules have been held in committee and created a mechanism for additional policy changes from committee members who have maintained a positive demeanor while also expressing frustrations with the process and outcomes. Agencies and legislators continue to push through but trepidations remain, and murmurs of another rules overhaul continue to be a point of conversation.
As January winds down and we head towards the second month of session, tensions are high. Floor sessions are starting to heat up and committee agendas are lengthening. Agency presentations are tapering off, and the number of bills to address is growing, with many more drafts being shopped this week and next week ahead of deadlines. The BB&A team is hard at work and while things are moving fast, there is still plenty of time to address issues and make changes. Make sure to keep current on legislation and visit our Bill Tracker.
