The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has set several agency budgets so far this morning, including the budget for Idaho Public Television, which passed on a 16-4 vote. The plan calls for a 1 percent cut in state general funds for IPTV next year, and a 4.6 percent cut in total funds. It's a slightly smaller cut overall than the governor had recommended, because it restores $97,200 that was cut from the IPTV budget last year because the network got a one-time federal grant for that amount; the governor hadn't recommended restoring the money, though the grant is over.

"I think that besides the things that public TV normally does in terms of delivering a great program out to the people of Idaho, they've done a tremendous job of helping us make our government much more transparent and much more accessible to the people this year," said Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow. "We've had hearings that JFAC has had with many people coming. The efforts of public TV have helped people around the state have access to the information shared and the comments shared, and I think we owe them a lot."

Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, noted that IPTV's budget bears the cost of Legislature Live and broadcasting legislative hearings, which has been a big thing this year. "I appreciate what they do with all these meetings we have and all this activity that goes on in this Capitol," Bell said. "This has become a lot about transparency in government."