Eventful morning in JFAC
In an eventful morning of budget-setting, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning nearly killed the funding for the Women’s Commission, stuck close to the governor’s recommendation on prison funding, left the conversion of a prison warehouse into treatment beds for a decision tomorrow, and trimmed proposed new rural arts grants by half because of audit problems at the state Arts Commission. Overall, Gov. Butch Otter’s budget director, Wayne Hammon, thought the budget-setting was “pretty good today.” “Today I thought was typical of what they’ve been doing the last few weeks,” he said: Essentially sticking close to the governor’s recommendations, with “just a little trimming.”
Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, went after the Women’s Commission, which she called “a waste of money” and “a duplicative service.” Other members questioned what the commission accomplishes. The vote on its budget initially was split 10-10 – which meant it would have failed, zero-funding the agency. But then a slew of JFAC members changed their votes. The final vote, at 16-4, left the tiny agency’s less-than-$40,000 budget intact.
Budget motions for the state Department of Correction largely matched the governor’s proposals, but Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, led a move to delete $53,900 included as part of the governor’s “green initiative” to move new vehicle purchases toward hybrids or flex-fuel vehicles. That initiative has been trimmed in some budgets set by the committee, but not others. Bair’s motion passed, 12-8. JFAC also unanimously approved a small supplemental appropriation it had passed over earlier for additional office space for the Human Rights Commission.
Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said lawmakers yesterday met with corrections and administration officials and were persuaded that conversion of the prison warehouse into treatment beds should be funded. That’ll be taken up tomorrow morning. The prison budgets approved today include $24.5 million for county and out-of-state placement of inmates next year, down from the governor’s proposed $28.6 million, but state Corrections Director Brent Reinke said with the recent flattening of prison population growth, “It’s going to be close.” Rep. Darrell Bolz, R-Caldwell, said, “This is kind of our best guess at this time.”
