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: -4
Bill Description: Senate Bill 1410 appropriates $96,999,700 and 345.60 full-time positions to the Department of Lands and the Endowment Fund Investment Board for fiscal year 2025.
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.)?
Senate Bill 1410 appropriates $1 million from the General Fund for recruitment and retention bonuses for firefighters. This request was not requested by the agency, but added by the governor’s office instead. There was no indication of how these funds would be allocated, suggesting that they are a blanket increase. This is wasteful because these funds are simply being allocated to the staff without any discretion based on merit.
(-1)
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 total maintenance budget for the Department of Lands of $84,533,700, growing it from the base by 33.2% over the last three years. This rate is substantially higher than what would be prescribed by inflationary pressures over the same period.
By contrast, appropriations for the Endowment Fund Investment Board grew by 5.1% from the base in the 2022 fiscal year, lower than the rate of inflation over the same period.
(-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?
The Endowment Fund Investment Board does not take any federal funding to support its operations and staff. However, the Department of Lands receives more than $19.3 million to support nearly 20% of its total budget for the 2025 fiscal year. Nearly all of these federal funds come from various grants to support the department’s operations.
(-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 1410 would appropriate 4.33 new full-time equivalent positions to the Department of Lands for fiscal year 2025. There is a net reduction in overall staff within the agency, but these 14 positions are being relocated to the Office of Information Technology Services as part of the statewide IT consolidation effort.
These new positions would convert a lands program specialist to full time, add three new positions to support the Good Neighbor Authority program, and add one additional position for a new grants/operations analyst. The Legislature appropriated a new position for the Good Neighbor Authority program in the 2024 fiscal year as well.
These new positions grow the overall size of government.
(-1)
