Bill Analyses and Ratings

Rating: –1

Bill Summary:
Senate Bill 1217 (2025) appropriates over $18.3 million in additional funding to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for Fiscal Year 2026, using a combination of Fish and Game Fund revenue (license and tag fees), federal funds, and dedicated trust accounts. The funding spans five divisions: Administration, Enforcement, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Communications. Major allocations include $11.2 million for administrative operations and IT, $2.8 million for fishery programs, $3.5 million for wildlife management (including $800,000 from trust funds), and smaller sums for communications and enforcement.

The bill also grants reappropriation authority for deferred maintenance projects, a Pocatello office remodel, and a department-wide website overhaul. It permits up to $1.8 million in carryover from the Expendable Big Game Depredation Fund to reimburse agricultural property owners for wildlife damage. Additionally, the bill appropriates $270,000 from the Fish and Game Expendable Trust Fund for wildlife operations in FY2025. An emergency clause ensures immediate enactment of the FY2025 funds.

Reason for Rating:
Despite being funded from dedicated and federal sources rather than the General Fund, this bill authorizes a substantial expansion of state government spending without offering structural reform, cost-saving offsets, or performance accountability. It adds millions in overhead and administrative costs, with the largest share going to non-field operations like IT infrastructure and administrative functions. No performance metrics, outcome benchmarks, or efficiency goals are included. This growth, even from user-based funding sources, reflects unchecked bureaucratic expansion. The Idaho Republican Platform (Article I, Section 1D) opposes unnecessary growth in government and calls for state agencies to demonstrate restraint and focus on core constitutional duties. SB1217 does neither—earning a negative rating.