Bill Description: Senate Bill 1128 would give the Idaho water resource board $30 million annually in taxpayer money to spend on "water infrastructure."
Rating: -2
Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?
Senate Bill 1128 would create Section 42-1760A, Idaho Code, to direct "the addition of thirty million dollars ($30,000,000), continuously funded out of the general fund, to the water management account established in section 42-1760, Idaho Code, to be administered by the Idaho water resource board."
It gives the board broad discretion to spend the money for "planning, constructing, rehabilitating, reconstructing, and improving water infrastructure throughout the state."
This bill lacks sufficient oversight and accountability. The Legislature should determine, whenever there is a proposal for spending on water infrastructure, whether an appropriation is suitable. This bill would instead deposit $30 million annually into the water management account (regardless of need) and effectively encourage the board to find ways to spend it.
(-1)
Does it violate the principles of federalism by increasing federal authority, yielding to federal blandishments, or incorporating changeable federal laws into Idaho statutes or rules? Examples include citing federal code without noting as it is written on a certain date, using state resources to enforce federal law, and refusing to support and uphold the tenth amendment. conversely, does it restore or uphold the principles of federalism?
Senate Bill 1128 would also contain a provision that says, "The [Idaho water resource] board may coordinate with other state and federal agencies, as well as local governments and private entities, to leverage additional funding and resources for water infrastructure development." [Emphasis added.]
Federal debt now exceeds $36 trillion, and a significant portion of federal spending is deficit spending, which means federal dollars are mortgaging the futures of our children and grandchildren — all to subsidize this generation's unsustainable consumption.
The state should seek all available opportunities to reduce its dependence on federal funding, but instead, this bill encourages the state to seek "additional funding" from federal agencies.
(-1)
