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: -1

Bill Description: Senate Bill 1212 is a trailer appropriation for House Bill 24 that provides $5 million to fund the Idaho Launch Program.

Senate Bill 1212 is a trailer to House Bill 24 to appropriate $5 million to the Workforce Development Council for fiscal year 2024. These funds are sourced from the In-Demand Careers Fund to support the Idaho Launch Grant Program. This program is designed to provide an $8,500 grant to all Idaho high school graduates. This program notes that preference will be given to students pursuing in-demand careers.

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 appropriation is consistent with the fiscal note accompanying House Bill 24 and makes the appropriations effective in the 2024 fiscal year. This is a wasteful program because it is beyond the proper role of the government to redistribute taxpayer dollars for the purpose of incentivizing people to take certain jobs. This program is slated to cost a total of $102 million annually.

(-1)