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 363 appropriates $103,296,800 and 564.14 full-time positions to the Career and Technical Education 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 Division of Career and Technical Education at $85,605,400, growing from the base by 10.0% over the last three years. This rate is four points slower than the rate of inflation over the same period, demonstrating acceptable growth in the cost to maintain the agency.
(+1)
Does this budget perpetuate or expand state dependence on federal dollars, thereby violating principles of federalism? Conversely, does this budget actively reduce the amount of federal dollars used to balance this budget?
This legislation appropriates more than $11.2 million in federal funding to the Division of Career and Technical Education — making up nearly 11% of the agency’s total budget. These funds come from miscellaneous federal grants and no longer include pandemic relief funds. House Bill 363 grows the amount of federal funding appropriated to the agency by $1.3 million. $910,700 of these funds go to subsidize apprenticeship programs at private businesses and $434,800 for equipment to expand firefighter training programs.
House Bill 363 expands state dependence on federal funding for new ongoing programs and spending.
(-1)
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 grows the number of full-time positions within the Division of Career and Technical Education by 10.5 FTPs. These include salary, benefits, and startup costs in the amount of $592,900 for six new CTE personnel, $581,800 for 4.5 new post-secondary staff, and $131,700 for one new administrator for the apprenticeship grant program. The division already has an exceptionally large staff, boasting 552.64 full-time positions built into the base budget. This legislation significantly expands the number of staff within the agency for new programs and to administer federal funds.
(-1)
