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Idaho state budget

Idaho's $2.2 billion FY 2012 budget was passed by the Idaho State Legislature and signed by Gov. Butch Otter.

Idaho has a total state debt of approximately $11,953,729,000, when calculated by adding the total of outstanding official debt, pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities, Unemployment Trust Fund loans, and the budget gap. ^[1]

See also: The Idaho State Budget on State Budget Solutions

[edit] FY 2013 State Budget

Legislative Proposed Budget

On March 16, 2012, the Idaho House voted 58-9 to approve the FY2013 state budget.^[4] The budget includes:

• increases state support public universities by $18.1 million
• 2 percent raise for state employees.

Governor's Proposed Budget

Gov. Butch Otter proposed a $2.8 billion budget for FY2013. The Governor's proposed budget documents can be found here.

Of the proposed budget, $481 million, or 17%, would go to Medicaid, which serves more than 230,000 Idahoans. In FY2013, the federal government will pay 70.81% of Medicaid costs.^[5]

The governor's proposal allocates $45 million for general tax relief in his fiscal 2013 budget proposal. He also recommended $60 million for savings and $41 million for employee raises, based on a 5.8 percent, $148 million increase in revenue next year.^[6]

[edit] FY 2012 State Budget

• See past state budgets

The state budget for FY2012 totals $2.2 billion, down significantly from the $3.2 billion budget of FY2007. The governor has said that he wants those cuts to be permanent.^[7] That may be necessary, given that the Division of Financial Management reported that general fund receipts were 4.4 percent below the projected $199 million in August 2011.^[8]

A FY2012 budget summary prepared by the Division of Financial Management can be found here.

The Governor and Legislature balanced the State budget without raising taxes or instituting new fees. State employees will not receive a raise. The Legislature adopted the 3 percent revenue growth rate.^[9] As of August 2011, Idaho was expected to end FY2012 with a budget surplus of $179 million.^[7] That was a big change from Nov. 2010, when the Legislature’s budget analysts said that the next budget could have a shortfall of between $237 million and $438 million, which the budget closed.^[10] Lawmakers cannot turn to two key reserve funds to pay for state services because both the Budget Stabilization Fund and Economic Recovery Reserve Fund are expected to be at zero at the end of FY2011.^[11]

[edit] Education Overhaul and Protests

State Public Instruction Superintendent Tom Luna proposed an education reform package to overhaul the state's K-12 education system and lawmakers have approved two of three bills that reform to Idaho's schools.^[12]

[edit] Collective Bargaining and Tenure

The state legislature passed Senate Bill 1108, which limits teachers' collective bargaining rights to salary and benefits.^[13] It takes out issues such as class sizes, teacher workload and promotions from collective bargaining, and it permits collective bargaining only if the teachers union can prove it represents more than 50 percent of employees.^[14][15][16] It eliminates tenure for new teachers^[12], with new educators instead being offered one- to two-year contracts following a three-year probationary period.^[17]

Lawmakers also passed 1110, which institutes merit pay bonuses to teachers for student achievement.^[12]

Lawmakers are considering another bill that is part of the overhaul the education system in the state, 1113, which calls for more technology in the classroom and requires online courses and increase the number of students per classroom to pay for it.^[12] The Senate approved the bill, as did the House Education Committee so it now goes the full House.^[18]

The entire overhaul plan would eliminate 770 teaching positions but would use $250 million to raise pay for teachers. ^[19] Gov. Otter supports the measures.^[19]

The Idaho Education Association warned the plan would drastically cut the ability of unions to bargain.^[19][20] Hundreds of teachers protested the bills on Feb. 21, 2011.^[16]

[edit] Budget transparency

The Idaho state constitution provides in Article 3, Section 15 that a bill be read on three days in each legislative chamber previous to the final vote. This provision is dispensable in case of urgency with a 2/3 of the member of the house where bill is pending. Final passage of all bills must read at length.

The state currently has no statewide, official spending database online, despite Idaho Representative Phil Hart's work to promote transparency through Idaho House Bill 177 (2009).

See also: Evaluation of Idaho state website or Constitutional provisions regarding reading of bills or find sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard

[edit] Government tools

The following table is helpful in evaluating the level of transparency provided by a state spending and transparency database:

[edit] Transparency Legislation

Main article: Idaho transparency legislation

[edit] 2011

• By a vote of 6-3, the Idaho House Commerce and Human Resources Committee killed a public records bill that proposed that 114 non-government organizations to comply to the Public Records Law that participate in the state pension system. ^[21]

[edit] FY 2011 State Budget

Idaho ended FY2011 with a budget surplus of $85 million, much of which was given to the schools that had lost funding to cuts earlier in the year.^[22] Find the state’s FY2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) compiled by the state government here.

Gov. Otter proposed a budget for FY2011 with no tax increase. He also proposed that there be no increased funding for raises in any fund category and that 400 state positions, most of which are currently vacant, be eliminated.^[23] The state went from having a projected budget shortfall of $91.7 million in February 2011^[24] to ending the year on June 30, 2011, with an $85.3 million surplus. $60 million of that money is heading to schools and the rest to taxpayers on their next income tax return.^[25]

The governor also proposed saving $10 million with ongoing savings of $7 million annual by eliminating the Department of Parks and Recreation with park maintenance being transferred to the Department of Lands and the fees portion being transferred to the Department of Fish and Game.^[23] Other proposed cuts include beginning a four-year phase-out of general fund spending for Idaho Public Television, the Digital Learning Academy and five other agencies, including the Human Rights Commission, Hispanic Commission, and the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.^[23][26]

Under the budget approved by the legislature's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, the state's budget for Medicaid is also reduced.^[27] That budget also cuts by approximately 9% the funding to both the Idaho Commission on the Arts and the office of the Secretary of the State.^[26]

One month into the fiscal year, State Budget Director Wayne Hammon said, “We’ve taken a slow, cautious conservative approach … I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re going to be OK. I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re done cutting things.” He noted that the state’s approach of gradual holdbacks dating back to September 2008 reduced the state government to the size it was in 2005 and helped avoid drastic cuts.^[28]

[edit] Executive Economic Council

House Minority leader John Rusche publicly sent a letter asking Gov. Otter to have outside economists at Idaho universities, the Idaho Tax Commission, and the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho review the next state budget revenue projection, due in August. The governor denied the request but the state could set up a new Executive Economic Council consisting of five experts appointed by the governor. The council would not be able to review the August figures but could review the next projection in December.^[29]

[edit] Medicaid Funds

If Congress does not approve Medicaid fund, there will be a $69 million hole in the budget that state Budget Director Wayne Hammon said will be plugged with remaining rainy-day funds.^[28]

[edit] General Fund Revenue Book

The General Fund Revenue Book can be found here.

[edit] Accounting Principles

Main article: Idaho government accounting principles

The Legislative Audits Division of the Legislative Services Office, under the direction of the Legislative Council, is charged with the responsibility to audit the State of Idaho’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and perform the annual Federal Single Audit required by federal regulations. Their audit reports are published online. Don Berg is Manager of the Division.^[30]

Donna M. Jones has been Idaho State Controller since 2007. The Idaho state controller is one of seven statewide elected constitutional officers in the executive branch of Idaho state government and serves a four-year term. In 1994, a constitutional amendment passed by Idaho voters changed the name of the state auditor to state controller. This amendment granted the state controller the authority to establish statewide internal pre-audit accounting controls to assure state funds are spent properly. The amendment transferred post-audit functions to the Legislative Services Office enabling separation of accounting and after-the-fact auditing operations.^[31]

The state controller is the chief fiscal officer of the state of Idaho, responsible for:^[31]

• Maintaining all accounting and financial records
• Paying all the state’s bills and employees
• Preparing the state’s annual financial report
• Operating the state’s Computer Service Center

Standard & Poor's boosted the state's credit rating from AA to AA+ in part because of the state's use-of-revenue assumptions that would put the state on more solid financial ground. ^[33]

[edit] Stimulus

Idaho has received $1.2 billion in federal funding.^[34]

Idaho received $104 million from the federal government under H.R. 1586, a $26 billion plan to give states money for Medicaid and education that the President signed into law on August 10, 2010.^[35]

[edit] Public Employees

Main article: Idaho public employee salaries

Main article: Idaho public pensions

According to 2008 Census data, the state of Idaho and local governments in the state employed a total of 102,779 people.^[36] Of those employees, 71,643 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $249,485,783 per month and 31,136 were part-time employees paid $23,808,761 per month.^[36] More than 53% of those employees, or 55,339 employees, were in education or higher education.^[36]

A Change in Employee Compensation and Benefits by the Idaho Department of Administration reported that public employees wages were usually behind market jobs, but that public employees received a much larger benefit package. The report recommended a 3 percent increase in public employee pay, merit-based, and a reduction in employee benefits. The plan would cost $34.2 million.^[37]

[edit] See Also

• Idaho taxpayer-funded lobbying
• Idaho public pensions

[edit] External links

[edit] Additional reading

• Gov. Butch Otter,"State of the state 2010," January 11, 2010
• Gov. Butch Otter,"State of the state 2009," January 12,2009
• Associated Press,"State budget crisis has steadily worsened," February 14,2009

[edit] References

v • d • e State Budgets Cost of state transparency websites • State budget issues • Pubic employee salaries • Public pensions • States with spending online • Glossary of state budget terms Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming •

	v • d • e State of Idaho Boise (capital)
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Divisions	State | List of Counties | List of Cities | List of School Districts | Evaluation of county websites | Evaluation of city websites | Evaluation of township websites | Evaluation of school district websites |
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