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.

Analyst: Niklas Kleinworth

Rating: -1

Bill Description: House Bill 336 appropriates $37,188,400 and 340.21 full-time positions to the University of Idaho Agricultural Research and Extension Services for fiscal year 2024.

Is the maintenance budget inappropriate for the needs of the state, the size of the agency, or the inflationary environment of the economy? Conversely, is the maintenance budget appropriate given the needs of the state and economic pressures?

This legislation sets the maintenance budget for the Agricultural Research Extension at $37,188,400, growing from the base by 14.6% over the last three years. This rate is approximately equal to the rate of inflation over the same period.

(0)

Does the budget grow government through the addition of new permanent FTPs or through funding unlegislated efforts to create new or expanded entitlement programs? Conversely, does this budget reduce the size of government staff and programs except where compelled by new legislation?

This legislation seeks to appropriate $394,000 to add 2.77 new full-time positions to expand the number of faculty who specialize in regenerative agriculture. This is part of a larger project at the University of Idaho for implementing sustainability programs throughout the state. Being that this line item grows the number of FTPs, this grows the size of government and ongoing spending over time.

(-1)