The Joint Millennium Fund Committee released a full list of the anti-drug and addiction groups it's recommending receive funding, as well as a score sheet ranking each groups' proposals. The committee decided on funding in a meeting Thursday, and heard presentations from each group in December. Several million dollars are granted each year, with the money coming from the earnings from Idaho's share of a 1998 settlement with tobacco companies.
Here's a rundown of the $5.2 million in funding recommendations in the next budget year:
$1,859,200 for Substance Abuse Treatment under the Interagency Substance Abuse Committee
$1,300,000 for the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare (DHW) for Project Filter & Nicotine Replacement
$500,000 for the Public Health Districts Tobacco Cessation Programs
$500,000 for the Idaho Meth Project
$420,000 for the Idaho Supreme Court for Youth Courts and Status Offenses
$192,900 for the American Lung Association Tobacco Prevention Education & T.A.T.U Program
$150,000 for the Idaho Drug Free Youth i2i Program
$150,000 for the American Cancer Society for Women’s Health Checks
$94,000 for the Idaho State Police Tobacco Compliance Inspections
$60,000 for the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians for TAR WARS
The committee also recommended transferring $616,200 back to the Millennium Fund's balance. Lawmakers said during the meeting Thursday that the extra money could provide some wiggle room to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC), which will make the final spending decision.
The committee also released a scoring sheet, showing the median scores the panel of ten lawmakers gave each program after the December presentations. The top seven ranked programs all received funding recommendations, though DHW didn't receive the full $2.25 million requested. The highest ranked program to not receive funding was the Office of Drug Policy (ODP). Panel co-chairman Rep. Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, said many on the panel didn't want Millennium Fund dollars to go to the ODP's day-to-day operating expenses. The lowest-ranked program that was recommended funding was the Idaho Meth Project. Only two lawmakers scored it as one of their top four choices. The Idaho Academy of Family Physicians was also ranked low, with just one lawmaker giving it a top four vote. See the full scoring sheet here. (pdf)
