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: (-2)
Bill Description: House Bill 390 is an enhancement of $3,641,000 and 0.00 new full-time positions for the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) for fiscal year 2026. This legislation appropriates a total of $14,645,000 and 81.00 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.)?
This legislation appropriates an additional $25,000 for travel for the pension board members. This is in addition to the $47,000 already in the base for this purpose — a 53% increase. The agency notes this is to cover a $2,500 increase in costs to send five board members to two annual conferences.
Though there may be some value to sending board members to conferences, there are diminishing returns for sending more than one or two board members. Private organizations rarely send their entire staff or boards to conferences, as these members are expected to bring back what they have learned and share it with the team. Such a large increase for the luxury of sending the entire board to conferences is an imprudent use of taxpayer dollars.
(-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 Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) at $11,016,500, growing from the base by 24.5% in the last three years. This rate is more than 10 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)
