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: 0

Bill Description: House Bill 764 appropriates $958,600 to the Judicial Branch as a trailer appropriation for House Bill 746 for fiscal year 2025.

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 is a trailer appropriation to House Bill 746. It provides a salary increase consistent with the statewide change in employee compensation. It provides an increase of 2.6% for justices of the Supreme Court, a 2.7% increase for judges in the Court of Appeals, and a 2.8% increase for judges in the District Courts.  It also provides a 3.0% increase to magistrates. House Bill 746 notes that it would provide a bonus of $25,000 for judges who retire at the completion of their term rather than mid-term. It is unclear how this is reflected in the appropriation for House Bill 764.

This legislation is consistent with the fiscal note accompanying House Bill 746.

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