Bill Analyses and Ratings

Rating: –1

Bill Summary:

House Bill 332 is a supplemental appropriation bill that allocates an additional $1,414,100 from the Idaho General Fund to the State Board of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho for Fiscal Year 2026. The funds are distributed among four programs: $19,500 for Forest Utilization Research, $12,800 for the Geological Survey, $5,600 for the Museum of Natural History, and $1,376,200 for Scholarships and Grants. The bill also increases the state’s authorized personnel cap by 0.27 full-time equivalent positions and includes an emergency clause, making the law effective on July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:

H0332 represents a quiet expansion of state government spending and staffing without meaningful justification, reform, or fiscal offset. It funds non-essential programs that could be supported by private foundations or university partnerships and increases public dependency on the state for higher education assistance. The bill also includes an emergency clause without meeting the threshold for a legitimate emergency, which undermines procedural integrity.

This kind of piecemeal budget expansion, while modest, contradicts the Idaho Republican Party Platform’s calls for limited government, fiscal restraint, reduced bureaucracy, and the prioritization of core government functions. For these reasons, House Bill 332 is appropriately rated at –1.