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 1202 is an enhancement of $32,282,100 and 17.96 new full-time positions for the Idaho State Public Defender for fiscal year 2026. This legislation appropriates a total of $83,194,200 and 333.96 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.)? 

The State Public Defender is a new role for the state of Idaho and it is not clear if the state taking over this role really makes sense. The notion was to centralize public defense as a state service and relieve counties of the cost pressure as well as fulfill legal obligations to provide adequate public defense. The actual expenditures for the precursor public defense commission was under $14 million in FY24. The FY25 appropriation for this office, in its first year, was $52 million. And now for FY26, the request is $83 million. While public defense is considered a right; with this new program came demands for higher pay, more staff, and new offices. How likely is it that property taxes have decreased by $83 million for this shift? 

It is important to note that the fiscal note for H236 establishing this office and enacted in 2023, stated that the funding was established to start at $48 million. And, now in year two it is over $80 million.

(-1)