House Shifts Funds To Juvenile Program

Rep. Celia Gould acknowledged Thursday it wasn’t easy to take money from public school programs aimed at heading off drinking, smoking and using drugs.

But she and a majority of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted to do just that, transferring $3.5 million from drug-prevention programs to pay for a new state agency dealing with juvenile lawbreakers.

Gould, R-Buhl, said she’s convinced the programs can work together on substance abuse problems.

“Some integration is needed,” she said. “We have too many people out there doing things” without overall direction.

If the rest of the Legislature agrees, the bill will provide about $3.5 million to pay for the county probation system that is part of a drive for a new juvenile justice system and the new Department of Juvenile Corrections.

The money will come from a tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products approved last year. The entire $7 million was to have gone into greatly expanded education and substance abuse programs aimed at youngsters.

Capping three days of hearings, the tax panel endorsed Gould’s bill and sent it to the full House for action. Rep. Elaine Hofman, D-Pocatello, led the battle to preserve full funding for the prevention programs.

But county officials told the committee it was imperative that they get funding for any additional duties they must perform under the new juvenile justice system.

Rep. Hilde Kellogg, R-Post Falls, voted for the bill.

Rep. Jim Christiansen, D-Aberdeen, was against diverting the money from substance abuse. “You will dilute both programs and we will not be effective in either one,” he said.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Associated Press Staff writer Joe Relk contributed to this report.