The Idaho Spending Index serves to provide a fiscally conservative perspective on state budgeting while providing an unbiased measurement of how Idaho lawmakers apply these values to their voting behavior on appropriations bills. Each bill is analyzed within the context of the metrics below. They receive one (+1) point for each metric that is satisfied by freedom-focused policymaking and lose one (-1) point for each instance in which the inverse is true. The sum of these points composes the score for the bill.
Rating: (-2)
Bill Description: Senate Bill 1150 is an enhancement of $2,877,400 and 0.00 new full-time positions for the Department of Agriculture, Soil and Water Conservation Commission for fiscal year 2026. This legislation appropriates a total of $61,183,800 and 248.75 full-time positions to the agency.
Analyst note: Unlike in previous years, this legislation combines appropriations for the Department of Agriculture and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission. This may make it difficult to compare ratings for each agency over time.
Does this budget incur any wasteful spending among discretionary funds, including new line items? Conversely, does this budget contain any provisions that serve to reduce spending where possible (i.e. base reductions, debt reconciliation, etc.)?
Senate Bill 1150 explicitly provides reappropriation authority for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the Soil and Water Conservation Commission. This is a federal initiative to retire up to 50,000 acres of Idaho farmland for the next 15 years. It gives farmers financial incentives to stop working their land. Taking agricultural land out of production can disrupt the nation’s food supply, causing food prices, already rising, to increase more rapidly.
The Department of Agriculture is asking for an additional $340,400 for a new salary pay structure for agricultural investigators. This would apply to existing FTPs who would already enjoy a very generous statewide annual change in employee compensation (CEC). Combining this request with the CEC increase brings the true total cost of increased employee compensation to more than $761,364 — about 120% more than the agency’s request. This is a wasteful expenditure.
As a note, this budget also contains a 1% CEC increase for fruit and vegetable inspectors at a total cost of $390,800. These inspectors are not state employees and are not included in the statewide CEC allocation. Therefore, this line item does not double-up on the CEC and would not be considered wasteful.
(-1)
Is the continuation or growth in ongoing spending, if any, inappropriate for the changes in circumstances, scope of the agency, or current economic environment? Conversely, is the continuation or growth in ongoing spending appropriate given any change in circumstances or economic pressures?
This legislation funds the combined ongoing spending for the Department of Agriculture and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission at $63,177,300, growing it from the base by 29.6% in the last three years. This rate is more than 15 percentage points faster than what would be prescribed by inflationary pressures and growth.
Because of the accelerated growth in this budget the last three years, a truly fiscally responsible enhancement budget for FY2026 would reverse the growth with a reduction to the base budget, or negative appropriation.
(-1)
Does this budget contain hidden fund transfers or supplemental expenditures that work to enact new policy or are not valid emergency expenditures? Conversely, are fund transfers only made to stabilization funds or are supplemental requests only made in the interest of resolving valid fiscal emergencies?
Senate Bill 1150 contains appropriation to fund a deficiency warrant for the 2025 fiscal yea. This warrant is used to cover interventions to control invasive species throughout the state. Naturally, this is a variable and unanticipated cost to the Department of Agriculture. It is a valid use of this funding mechanism and does not constitute a hidden expenditure of funds.
(0)
