Of trailer bills, what-ifs and crossing bridges…

As JFAC debated the budget for the Children’s Programs division of the public school budget this morning, Rep. John Gannon noted that it didn’t include the governor’s $10.7 million early literacy initiative, which is pending in the House; the idea is that once it’s passed, JFAC would come back with a “trailer” bill to add the funding. He asked, given that members of leadership have been committing to a 7.4 percent school budget increase, whether that means that if that bill doesn’t pass, JFAC could come back and put another $10.7 million into discretionary funds or another place within the school budget. JFAC Co-Chair Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said, “We’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.”