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 1454 appropriates $4,881,300 and 21.00 full-time positions to the Executive Office of the Governor 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.)? 

This legislation includes an appropriation of $255,000 to replace the office’s constituent management system. This would include creating a new web interface and a $40,000 ongoing contract with the host of the program, Salesforce.

With new technology, there should be improved efficiency that could result in corresponding cost savings. This line item offers no such benefits to the taxpayer, however. It increases the ongoing costs of running the office with no projected offsets.

(-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 program maintenance budget for the Executive Office of the Governor of $4,590,200, growing it from the base by 7.7% in the last three years. This demonstrates acceptable growth from the FY 2022 base in the cost to maintain the agency.

(+1)