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: 0

Bill Description: Senate Bill 1215 is a trailer appropriation for House Bill 181 that appropriates $10 million to the Public School Income Fund to support the Advanced Opportunities Program.

Senate Bill 1215 is a trailer appropriation to transfer $10 million from the General Fund to the Public School Income Fund to support changes to the Advanced Opportunities program made by House Bill 181. House Bill 181 removes spending limits on career and technical education courses and increases awards by $500 per student. The fiscal note for this legislation recommended an additional appropriation of $10 million to cover the program’s increased use costs.

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 181 and makes the appropriations effective at the start of the 2024 fiscal year. There is no evidence of wastefulness in this appropriation.

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