idaho legislature

Idaho Budget Writers Hear From Germane Committees

By Sharon Fisher, 2-18-10

In between the budget hearing part and the budget setting part, Idaho’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) hears from the chairs of the germane committees—the committees that cover a specific area—about what’s going on in their areas and what sorts of things they’d like the budget writers to keep in mind as they make their decisions.

It shows how serious some members of the Legislature are this year about saving time—usually germane committee hearings are scheduled over two days, but this year it was just one.

Of particular interest were the chairs of the transportation committees—after last year’s legislative session, where fighting over transportation funding stretched the session to its second-longest ever—and the education committees, with public schools facing their first-ever overall budget cut.

Idaho can’t depend on federal fuel tax revenues any more, said Representative JoAn Wood, R-Rigby, chair of the House Transportation Committee. Cars, particularly hybrids, get better gas mileage, and people are driving less—which is better for the environment, but worse for Idaho’s budget. “It’s hard to ask the public for more money in times like now,” she said.

Senator John McGee, R-Caldwell, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, went farther, noting that Utah has switched from 80 percent federal funding, 20 percent state funding, to 80 percent state funding and 20 percent federal funding. Such a switch allows the state to bypass some of the environmental regulations associated with federal funding, getting the state more road for the money, he said. In addition, “donor” states, which pay more into the system than they receive in funding, are clamoring for a larger share, leaving “donee” states such as Idaho, which receive more than they pay in, in trouble. He also noted that no Idaho projects—including the Boise streetcar—received a share of recent federal transportation stimulus funding.

But it was the education committees that got the most attention. With public schools receiving essentially half of the entire general fund budget, it’s not looking very good, though budget writers are expected to formally announce a plan whereby school budgets would be kept whole for the remainder of 2010, using stabilization funds intended to be used in 2011, in return for bigger cuts in 2011, when school districts—which already have contracts signed for the 3 1/2 months remaining in the school year—have more time to prepare for them. JFAC has for its Friday agenda to balance the 2010 budget, after tax revenues have failed to meet goals.

Both Senate Education Chair John Goedde and House Education Chair Bob Nonini—each Republicans from Coeur d’Alene—mentioned the need for more revenues. Goedde’s committee meeting Wednesday went on for some time about this issue, with some members urging him to recommend more revenues, but with Senator Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, majority caucus chair, cautioning him not to assume that everyone felt that way. Nonini urged the Department of Lands to more closely follow the requirements of last year’s HB 500, which called for the department—which is charged with raising funds for its beneficiaries, including public schools, through use of state endowment lands—to develop renewable energy resources on those lands, such as woody biomass in the north, wind in the east, and geothermal in the Treasure Valley.

The education chairs, while apparently resigned to cuts in public education in 2011, if not 2010, also urged JFAC to maintain programs that have helped improve Idaho’s testing, including math and reading initiatives. But exactly which programs will be cut won’t be able to be decided until JFAC decides on a figure, Goedde said, noting that JFAC co-chair Senator Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, would be doing an “unprecedented” presentation of the JFAC budget to the education committee in order to give the public the opportunity to comment. (JFAC is the only legislative committee that does not take public comment.)

But with the even more restricted revenue goals for fiscal 2010 and 2011—set even lower last Friday when JFAC agreed with the $59 million lower figure from the Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee, rather than with Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s recommended January figure—it’s unclear just how much difference any input from the germane committees could make.

“We’ll smile at you, and be very kind, and then do what we have to do,” said JFAC co-chair Representative Maxine Bell, R-Jerome.

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