While big spenders and the media complained about operating under new budget procedures and rules intentionally designed to safeguard taxpayer funding and produce better outcomes, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) and the 2025 Legislature accomplished a small miracle.
JFAC delivered results.
We funded essential government services: roads, water, public safety, health care and education while limiting general fund spending growth to only 1.8% beyond maintenance of current operations spending (5%).
State employees received the largest amount of funding for raises in Idaho history.
We also put Idaho in a very strong position in the event of an economic downturn. We left double the amount of carryover we normally leave on the bottom line, over $420 million for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026.
We have the largest budget reserves in state history, $1.3 billion, 22.1% of General Fund revenue.
JFAC evaluated approximately 550 funding requests for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026 — 48 were eliminated, 37 were reduced, and over $300 million eliminated from new funding requests (all fund sources).
This meticulous effort allowed us to prioritize the children of Idaho and public safety.
We focused on the critical need to overhaul Idaho’s foster care system, an effort led by Alex Adams at the Department of Health and Welfare. Children who are in such desperate circumstances as to have been committed to state care deserve every effort to keep them safe. In fact, the Trump Administration recently hired Adams to do the same thing for America. Idaho’s loss is America’s gain.
Ditto for Josh Tewalt, former Director of the Department of Corrections, who had a fake medical crisis escape attempt happen last year. He immediately went to work to identify and mitigate security gaps to protect the public and IDOC staff.
Public education received $400 million in new funding despite having 200 fewer support units (equivalent of a classroom). That’s roughly $1,280 per student in new funding.
Starting in 2026, non-public students from families of modest incomes will have access to a new tax credit to help pay for an education in the setting that works best for them.
JFAC members spent hundreds of hours to trim less urgent requests to make way for critical ones, as well as facilitate over $450 million in tax relief to benefit Idaho citizens.
That we were able to set a balanced budget while anticipating reduced revenues is no small miracle.
JFAC takes the protection of your tax dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse seriously. We will continue to change and improve our process to get better results on your behalf.
I doubt you’ll ever see a headline describing JFAC as dedicated, diligent, and determined. It wouldn’t get any clicks like deadlock, delay and dysfunction did.
However, the untold stories behind the headlines are compelling evidence of JFAC function, not dysfunction, during the 2025 session.
