The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has voted unanimously to accept the report of the CEC Committee for 2 percent average pay boosts for state workers next year, though it won’t make the final call on budget-setting figures until Feb. 12. “That money has to come from somewhere, so that has to be part of the overall blueprint for the budget,” JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said. Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, said, “I appreciate the committee’s work. Having served on it, it was work. But I appreciate the convening of the committee and the commitment also in the recommendation to meet again. To me, this is an ongoing process.”

If JFAC follows the recommendation in its base budget-setting decisions on Feb. 12, the 2 percent funding would be built into every state agency budget it sets.