The Idaho Spending Index examines appropriation bills on several fronts to add some important context to lawmakers’ discussions as the spending bills are considered on the House and Senate floors. As we look at the budget, we consider the following issues:
Does the agency requesting these funds serve a proper role of government? Has wasteful or duplicative spending been identified within the agency, and if so, has that spending been eliminated or corrected? Have budget-writers reviewed existing outlays to look for opportunities to contain spending, e.g., through a base reduction? If there is a maintenance budget, is that maintenance budget appropriate? Are the line items appropriate in type and size, and are they absolutely necessary for serving the public? Does the budget contemplate adding new employees or programs? Does the appropriation increase dependency on the federal government?
Our analysis is intended to provide lawmakers and their constituents with a frame of reference for conservative budgeting, by summarizing whether appropriation measures contain items that are truly objectionable or legitimate and worthy of support.
Bill Description: Health and Welfare department: Programs of Indirect Support Services, Licensing and Certification, Domestic Violence Council, and Domestic Disabilities Council, FY22 appropriation
Rating: -1
This bill funds a new FTP for a Grants Supervisor Position at the Domestic Violence Council. The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence is a strategic partner of the Domestic Violence Council. From the March 5, 2021 Domestic Violence Fund report, page 8, “The Council conducts regional roundtables, surveys funded agencies, collaborates with the Idaho Coalition on Sexual and Domestic Violence, and reviews data on demographics, services provided, and victimization types collected by agencies receiving federal grants.”
The Idaho Coalition on Sexual and Domestic Violence presented a seminar on November 18, 2020 with the following description, “We are inviting white people into the last of our Fall Series of conversations among white people who are engaged in a spiritual practice to reconnect to our spirit and our humanity to interrupt white supremacy. Our election illustrates the magnitude of the work ahead for white people to shed the willful ignorance that has protected our innocence – with a majority of white people voting to maintain white supremacy. “
It might seem odd that a coalition connected with domestic violence is so invested in the social justice agenda and is a strategic partner of a publicly funded agency.
