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 1397 appropriates $11,522,900 and 74.50 full-time positions to the Department of Insurance for fiscal year 2025.
Is the maintenance budget inappropriate for the needs of the state, the size of the agency, or the inflationary environment of the economy? Conversely, is the maintenance budget appropriate given the needs of the state and economic pressures?
This legislation confirms the program maintenance budget for the Industrial Commission of $10,653,700, growing from the base by 3.6% over the last three years. This rate is slower than the rate of inflation over the same period, demonstrating modest growth in the cost to maintain the agency.
(+1)
Does the budget grow government through the addition of new permanent FTPs or through funding unlegislated efforts to create new or expanded entitlement programs? Conversely, does this budget reduce the size of government staff and programs except where compelled by new legislation?
Senate Bill 1397 includes three line item requests, adding a total of 4.00 FTPs to the department. This would have a total cost of $595,800 in the 2025 fiscal year. Two of these new positions are new deputy fire marshals at a combined cost of $410,300. The other two positions are a financial technician and a financial analyst, costing $61,000 and $124,600, respectively.
The agency cites substantial growth in the state, improving audit compliance, and addressing the growing number of insurance companies it regulates as reasons used to justify this growth. However, this is a considerable amount of growth in the size of the agency.
(-1)
