Proposed Budget Highlights
The governor’s “Idaho First” budget prioritizes funding for education, workforce, infrastructure, health and human services, public safety, tax relief, and employee compensation. The governor’s budget also continues to take fiscally prudent steps to prepare the state for the next recession. These steps include paying off debt, using one-time funds to address state building deferred maintenance, bolstering rainy day funds, enhancing the state’s fire suppression fund, leaving a healthy surplus (ending balance), and focusing on long-term structural balance with the use of a fiscal stress test. Highlights of the governor’s fiscal 2024 budget as well as largely one-time supplemental appropriations for fiscal 2023 include:
Education
- $330 million for targeted public school investments supported by dedicated sales tax collections set aside during the 2022 special session and approved by voters
- Includes funds to enhance teacher and classified staff pay and health insurance benefits as well as bring starting teacher pay to the Top 10 nationally
- Includes $52 million in discretionary funding to local schools to meet local needs and reduce reliance on property taxes
- $30 million to make permanent the Empowering Parents grant program to support student learning outside the classroom
- $20 million in one-time grants for school facility security
- $30 million in one-time grants for school information technology
Workforce
- $80 million to expand the Idaho Launch scholarship program for qualifying high school graduates to use at any Idaho university, community college, career technical program or workforce training provider
Infrastructure
- $97 million to fully fund the ongoing transportation safety gap
- $200 million to improve local bridges
- $35 million to improve airports statewide
- $10 million for pedestrian and safety projects
- $100 million reserved for economically significant local transportation projects
- $225 million in federal funds to improve broadband infrastructure
- $150 million for state water supply infrastructure
- $115 million to support drinking water and wastewater systems
- $100 million for outdoor recreation
Health and Human Services
- $22 million general fund and $50 million federal funds for behavioral health provider rate increases and expanded services to Medicaid beneficiaries
- $24 million for a new mental health facility
- $20 million in ongoing federal funds for emergency medical care in rural areas
- $15 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for childcare infrastructure grants
Public Safety
- 10 percent pay increase for law enforcement officers
- $1.6 million for statewide drug interdiction team to respond to ongoing fentanyl crisis, as well as one-time and ongoing funds for drug testing and fentanyl training
Tax Relief
- $120 million set aside for additional ongoing tax relief to be directed to local government property tax mitigation
- Fully implements the flat tax passed during the 2022 special session
Employee Compensation
- In addition to raising law enforcement and teacher pay, calls for 4 percent merit-based increase for permanent state employees