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: House Bill 371 is an enhancement of $86,100 and 0.00 new full-time positions for the Endowment Fund Investment Board for fiscal year 2026. It appropriates a total of $1,009,500 and 4.00 full-time positions to the agency.

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.)? 

House Bill 371 provides for an $80,000 raise for two positions in the agency: the manager of investments and an investment officer. The agency argues it needs this increase to place both positions in the “median of the low quartile for similar positions.” The statewide change in employee compensation only called for an additional $7,943 for these two positions. This legislation, however, gives  an exceedingly large pay increase for only two staff positions. For perspective, this increase is 12% of the agency’s FY 2024 personnel budget of $658,720. These positions are getting paid far outside what policy would prescribe, making this a wasteful bill.

(-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 ongoing spending for the Endowment Fund Investment Board at $1,004,600, growing from the base by 27.7% in the last three years. This rate is nearly 14 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 negative appropriation — a reduction to the base budget.

(-1)