Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: S1388 – FY2026-2027 Dept. of Correction Supplemental Appropr…
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 1388 appropriates approximately $32.8 million in additional funding to the Idaho Department of Correction for fiscal year 2027, with capital outlay allocations drawn from the Miscellaneous Revenue Fund directed to specific facilities including the Idaho State Correctional Institution–Boise ($665,000), Mountain View Transformation Center ($409,400), Community Reentry Centers ($812,200), and the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center ($146,900), among others. The bill also appropriates $17.8 million in supplemental operating funds for fiscal year 2026, covering Management Services (Hepatitis-C Fund), County and Out-of-State Placement (General Fund), and Medical Services (General Fund).
Beyond the funding allocations, Section 3 directs the Department of Correction to conduct a formal review of community reentry center operations, including issuing a request for information to evaluate potential outsourcing models. The review must weigh cost, recidivism outcomes, and security considerations, with findings reported to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee by November 1, 2026. The Legislative Services Office Budget and Policy Analysis Division will determine the format and contents of that report.
Section 5 declares an emergency, making the FY2026 supplemental appropriation (Section 2) effective immediately upon passage and approval, while the FY2027 appropriations and the reentry center review provisions take effect July 1, 2026.
Overall Assessment
This bill’s most consequential provision is the mandated review of community reentry center operations, which could lead to privatization of facilities that directly affect incarcerated Idahoans’ transition back into society. The capital outlay funding—totaling roughly $2.2 million in newly added Miscellaneous Revenue Fund appropriations across prisons and reentry centers—expands the physical and operational capacity of the corrections system. The bill increases total government spending on corrections by over $50 million across two fiscal years, which conflicts with fiscal restraint priorities even as it funds legitimate public safety infrastructure.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. Responsibility in Government (-1)
Sections 1 and 2 together authorize over $50 million in additional appropriations to the Department of Correction across FY2026 and FY2027, including $22.9 million from the General Fund for County and Out-of-State Placement and $6.4 million for Medical Services in FY2027 alone. While some funding draws from non-general revenue sources, the scale of new government expenditure conflicts with fiscal restraint and limited government spending priorities. The bill does not offset these costs through reductions elsewhere in the corrections budget.
ARTICLE II. Citizen Involvement in Government (0)
This bill is a corrections appropriations measure and does not touch elections, voting processes, citizen participation mechanisms, or public engagement in government. No provisions alter how Idahoans interact with or influence their government.
ARTICLE III. Education (0)
The bill funds correctional facility operations and a reentry center review. It contains no provisions related to schools, curriculum, parental rights in education, school choice, or any other education policy matter.
ARTICLE IV. Agriculture (0)
This is a corrections appropriations bill with no provisions affecting farming, ranching, agricultural trade, water law as it relates to agriculture, or any other agricultural policy.
ARTICLE V. Water (0)
The bill makes no reference to water rights, water appropriation, irrigation, or any water management policy. Its scope is limited entirely to corrections funding.
ARTICLE VI. Natural Resources and Environment (0)
No provisions in this bill address natural resource management, environmental regulation, federal land policy, or any related topic. The bill is confined to correctional facility appropriations.
ARTICLE VII. Energy (0)
The bill contains no provisions related to energy production, energy independence, electricity rates, hydropower, or any other energy policy matter.
ARTICLE VIII. Idaho National Laboratories (0)
This corrections appropriations bill has no connection to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear research, or technology development. No provisions are relevant to this metric.
ARTICLE IX. Private Property Rights (0)
The bill does not address property rights, eminent domain, regulatory takings, or any government action affecting private property. Its provisions are limited to corrections department funding.
ARTICLE X. State and Federal Lands (0)
No provisions in this bill concern federal land ownership, state land management, or the transfer of land between governmental entities. The bill is a corrections appropriations measure.
ARTICLE XI. Wildlife Management (0)
The bill makes no reference to fish and game management, hunting and fishing access, predator control, or any wildlife policy. It is unrelated to this metric.
ARTICLE XII. Economy (0)
While Section 3's outsourcing review of community reentry centers could eventually open corrections operations to private competition, the bill itself does not change commerce regulation, labor policy, or business conditions in Idaho. The review is a study directive, not a policy change, and its economic effects—if any—are speculative and contingent on future legislative action.
ARTICLE XIII. Health and Welfare (0)
Section 1 allocates $6.37 million from the General Fund for inmate Medical Services in FY2027, and Section 2 adds $3.24 million for the same purpose in FY2026. These appropriations fund healthcare delivery within the corrections system, which is a constitutionally required government obligation for incarcerated individuals rather than an expansion of public welfare programs into the broader population. The funding does not alter healthcare policy for Idaho citizens outside the corrections system.
ARTICLE XIV. American Family (0)
The bill does not address marriage, parental rights, abortion, child welfare policy, or any other family-related policy matter. Its provisions are confined to corrections department appropriations.
ARTICLE XV. Older Americans (0)
No provisions in this bill target or affect policies and programs for older Idahoans. The bill is a corrections funding measure with no age-specific components.
ARTICLE XVI. Law and Order with Justice (0)
Section 1 adds new capital outlay funding from the Miscellaneous Revenue Fund to multiple correctional facilities and allocates $812,200 in capital outlay specifically to Community Reentry Centers, supporting the infrastructure needed for supervised reintegration of offenders. The Inmate Labor Fund serves as a funding source across multiple facility line items, consistent with the principle that inmates capable of labor should contribute to the cost of their incarceration. Section 3's mandated review of reentry center efficiency—weighing recidivism outcomes alongside cost and security—demonstrates a commitment to corrections practices that reduce repeat offending and protect public safety.
ARTICLE XVII. National Defense - Securing the Border (0)
This state corrections appropriations bill has no provisions related to national defense, military readiness, border security, or veterans' affairs.
ARTICLE XVIII. Election of Judges and Idaho Supreme Court Justices (0)
The bill contains no provisions affecting judicial selection, judicial elections, or constitutional interpretation. It is a corrections funding measure.
ARTICLE XIX. Religious Liberty (0)
No provisions in this bill address religious freedom, conscience protections, or any limitation or expansion of religious exercise. The bill is limited to corrections department appropriations.