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: (-1)
Bill Description: Senate Bill 1154 is an enhancement of $18,400 and 0.00 new full-time positions for the Commission on the Arts for fiscal year 2026. This legislation appropriates a total of $2,335,100 and 10.00 full-time positions to the agency.
Does this budget enact powers and activities that extend beyond the proper role of government? Conversely, does this budget fulfill the proper role of government?
The stated role of the Arts Commission is to “stimulate and encourage the study and presentation of the arts, and public interest and participation therein, and to encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression.” All of these duties are inherent in private sector efforts to advance artistic expression and are wholly unreliant on the government’s participation. This calls into question the necessity of a government agency to promote the arts.
Art is a form of expression that is protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Constitution is unique in that it does not give the government the power to grant inalienable rights to the people. Rather, it limits government infringement on the rights that people are born with. It is not the proper role of government to direct what artistic expression is valuable or worthy of promotion. This task is best reserved to the free market and the private exercise of free speech. Private action is superior to government action in determining which artistic expressions merit funding.
(-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 Commission on the Arts at $2,335,100, growing from the base by 11.8% in the last three years. This rate is just over two points slower than what would be prescribed by inflationary pressures and growth.
(+1)
Does this budget perpetuate or expand state dependence on federal dollars, thereby violating principles of federalism? Conversely, does this budget actively reduce the amount of federal dollars used to balance this budget?
This budget request provides $1,240,000 in federal funds to the Arts Commission, constituting 54% of the agency’s total budget. About 5.5 of the 10 FTP within the agency are supported by these federal dollars. Together, these two metrics indicate that the Arts Commission depends substantially on federal funding to maintain its operations.
This enhancement also grows the agency’s dependency on federal funding. The budget appropriates $18,400 in additional funding from the general fund to support the state match required to access additional federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts for “integration of art and education.” This increases Idaho’s reliance on federal funding for support.
(-1)
