Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: H0870 – Idaho Office of IT Services FY2026-2027 Appropriations
Bill Summary
House Bill 870 appropriates additional funding to the Idaho Office of Information Technology Services for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. For FY2027, the bill allocates a total of $10,681,000 across three funding sources: $2,693,400 from the General Fund, $7,533,200 from the Administration and Accounting Services Fund, and $454,400 from the Federal Grant Fund. It also authorizes 59.5 additional full-time equivalent positions for FY2027 and directs a $458,700 cash transfer from the General Fund to the Administration and Accounting Services Fund.
For the current fiscal year (FY2026), the bill adds $200,000 from the General Fund specifically for purchasing building furnishings at the Chinden Campus, and appropriates $56,200 from the Federal Grant Fund for the E-CORE Federal Grant program, including $23,000 for personnel costs and $33,200 for operating expenditures. It also authorizes an additional 0.5 FTE position for FY2026 tied to the E-CORE program.
The bill’s actual amendments to existing law are narrow: the newly inserted text adds the Federal Grant Fund line item of $454,400 to the FY2027 appropriations table and inserts the $33,200 operating expenditure figure for the E-CORE program in FY2026. All other provisions represent the broader appropriations context. Sections 4 through 6 take effect immediately upon passage, while Sections 1 through 3 take effect July 1, 2026.
Overall Assessment
This bill’s substantive amendments add federal grant funding — $454,400 for FY2027 and $33,200 for FY2026 — to the Office of Information Technology Services, drawing on federal rather than state General Fund dollars. The practical effect on Idaho taxpayers is minimal, as these additions channel existing federal grant money into state IT operations rather than expanding state-funded government. The broader appropriations context, including 59.5 new FTE positions and millions in General Fund spending, represents existing law and prior legislative action rather than new changes introduced by this bill.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT (-1)
The bill's inserted changes add $454,400 in Federal Grant Fund appropriations for FY2027 (Section 1) and $33,200 in federal operating expenditures for FY2026 (Section 5), incrementally growing the Office of Information Technology Services' budget and staffing footprint. While these additions draw on federal rather than state General Fund dollars, accepting and appropriating federal grant money increases dependency on federal funding streams and expands the operational scope of a state agency, which runs counter to principles of limiting government growth and maintaining fiscal restraint at the state level.
ARTICLE II. CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT (0)
The bill's changes add federal grant fund line items to an IT services appropriations table. These amendments have no bearing on citizen participation in government, voting processes, ballot access, or political engagement.
ARTICLE III. EDUCATION (0)
The inserted text allocates federal grant funds to the Office of Information Technology Services for IT operations. The E-CORE Federal Grant program referenced in Section 5 is an IT services program, not an education initiative, and the $33,200 operating expenditure addition has no effect on schools, curricula, or parental rights.
ARTICLE IV. AGRICULTURE (0)
The bill's amendments add federal grant funding to a state IT office. Nothing in the inserted text touches agricultural policy, farm operations, water law as it relates to agriculture, or rural economic programs.
ARTICLE V. WATER (0)
The inserted changes are limited to federal grant fund appropriations for IT services. The bill contains no provisions affecting water rights, water management, irrigation, or Idaho's water sovereignty.
ARTICLE VI. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT (0)
The bill's amendments allocate federal grant dollars to IT operations and have no connection to natural resource management, environmental regulation, or land use policy.
ARTICLE VII. ENERGY (0)
The inserted text adds funding figures to an IT services appropriations table. The bill makes no changes to energy production, regulation, hydropower, or energy independence policy.
ARTICLE VIII. IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORIES (0)
The bill appropriates funds to the Office of Information Technology Services, a general state agency. It has no connection to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear research, or related federal science programs.
ARTICLE IX. PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS (0)
The bill's changes add federal grant fund line items to a state IT budget. No provisions affect private property ownership, eminent domain, takings, or development rights.
ARTICLE X. STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS (0)
The inserted amendments concern IT services funding and have no bearing on the management, transfer, or disposition of state or federal lands in Idaho.
ARTICLE XI. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (0)
The bill's amendments add federal grant appropriations to an IT office. Nothing in the inserted text affects fish and game management, hunting and fishing regulations, or predator control policy.
ARTICLE XII. ECONOMY (0)
The inserted changes direct federal grant funds to internal state government IT operations. The bill does not alter regulations affecting private businesses, modify labor policy, reduce barriers to commerce, or otherwise directly affect Idaho's private sector economy.
ARTICLE XIII. HEALTH AND WELFARE (0)
The bill's amendments are confined to IT services appropriations. They have no effect on healthcare delivery, welfare programs, Medicaid, or health freedom policies.
ARTICLE XIV. AMERICAN FAMILY (0)
The inserted text adds federal grant funding to a state technology office. The bill contains no provisions touching marriage, parental rights, child welfare, or family-related policy.
ARTICLE XV. OLDER AMERICANS (0)
The bill's changes allocate federal grant dollars to IT operations and have no connection to programs or policies affecting senior citizens, retirement security, or elder care.
ARTICLE XVI. LAW AND ORDER WITH JUSTICE (0)
The inserted amendments add funding figures to an IT services appropriations table. The bill makes no changes to criminal law, law enforcement resources, gun rights, or the justice system.
ARTICLE XVII. NATIONAL DEFENSE – SECURING THE BORDER (0)
The bill's amendments concern state IT services funding and have no bearing on military affairs, veterans' programs, border security, or immigration enforcement.
ARTICLE XVIII. ELECTION OF JUDGES AND IDAHO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES (0)
The inserted text adds federal grant fund line items to an IT appropriations table. The bill has no connection to judicial selection, judicial elections, or constitutional interpretation by Idaho courts.
ARTICLE XIX. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY (0)
The bill's amendments allocate federal grant funds to IT operations. Nothing in the inserted text affects religious exercise, conscience protections, or the relationship between government and religious institutions.