The Legislature's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is holding its interim meeting in north-central Idaho today and tomorrow, and today the lawmakers, along with State Board of Education members, state Division of Financial Management officials and staffers, toured the University of Idaho's research facilities and labs in Moscow and talked with professors and students. UI President Duane Nellis said over the past four years, the university has lost $30 million in state funding, but has partnered with 250 private and public entities to keep research and academic programs going. "While we're very proud and very grateful for the non-governmental support we've received, we realize that there is a limit to the lifelines others can provide," Nellis said in a statement. "We believe our legislators will understand that we're exceptionally good stewards of our resources."

The legislative budget writers will be in Lewiston and Orofino tomorrow, with stops including the Port of Lewiston, the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino, Clearwater Valley Hospital, and a juvenile corrections center in Lewiston.