Rating: –1

Bill Summary:

Senate Bill 1160 appropriates an additional $4,923,700 to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Indirect Support Services for fiscal year 2026. The funding includes $851,600 in operating expenditures and $4,072,100 in capital outlay, with $2,298,700 coming from the General Fund and $2,625,000 from federal funds. The bill also requires a vehicle efficiency report, allows limited personnel fund transfers, and mandates a study on transferring licensing and certification functions to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses. Additionally, it restricts the department from using state funds to replace lost federal funding without legislative approval. Section 7 is effective immediately; the rest takes effect July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:
S1160 expands funding for a bureaucratic administrative division without delivering direct services or implementing structural reform. It reinforces Idaho’s dependence on federal dollars, allocates millions to capital outlay with no accountability metrics, and perpetuates an inflated departmental footprint. While it includes minimal oversight language—such as a vehicle report and a licensing study—these measures do not offset the fact that this appropriation supports a bloated government agency rather than advancing lean governance or taxpayer efficiency. In direct contradiction to the Idaho Republican Party Platform’s call for limited government and reduced administrative waste, this bill earns a negative rating.