Rep. Phylis King, D-Boise, brought props this morning to support her bid to fund part of the Idaho Commission for Libraries request for $183,700 for a STEM initiative. “This was put together by a 5-year-old,” she told JFAC. “It shows that Play-doh can conduct electricity. … This is completing a circuit.”

King called for funding $75,000 of the commission’s $183,700 request – not enough to add staff, but enough to cover operational costs for the proposal. She said the commission could draw on existing staff and volunteers to carry it out. “Libraries are among the most accessible and most trusted public institutions in our state, which makes them ideal for providing free and local access to both formal and informal STEM learning experiences for all ages,” she said.”This is all science, it gets kids started early - libraries are open in evenings, weekends, holidays and after schools have closed.” She said librarians tell her they see “that 3^rd graders will help 1^st graders or 6^th graders will help 3^rd graders, so there is a mingling of age brackets.”

She added,  “This budget has a direct impact on the communities of everyone in this room, because it impacts our state’s 145 public libraries. I ask for your support.”

Sen.  Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, then moved for an alternative budget motion, following the governor’s request and leaving out the STEM item. “I have had a chance to look at our libraries and I want to commend them for what they’re doing as far as STEM and STEM activities,” he said. “They have personnel for that and they have been doing a lot in this area. I think it behooves us to wait one more year and also for them to work with the (new) STEM Action Center.” Mortimer’s motion passed 17-2, with just King and Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, dissenting, so King’s motion wasn’t taken up.