Millennium Fund panel tells JFAC it’s voted to leave $11.5M unspent

Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, and Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, presented the report of the Joint Millennium Fund Committee this morning to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, which voted unanimously to accept the report. The Millennium Fund Committee, which decides how to allocate proceeds from the endowment fund set up with Idaho’s share of proceeds from a nationwide tobacco settlement, recommended allocating $2.7 million to the Department of Health & Welfare’s “Project Filter” tobacco prevention and cessation program; and $750,000 for public health districts’ anti-tobacco programs. That leaves $11.5 million still available this year – the amount that Gov. Butch Otter wants to tap for the proposed Idaho Health Care Plan.

Wood told JFAC that the joint Millennium Fund Committee voted to leave any amount remaining in the fund at the end of fiscal year 2019 in the endowment, to draw interest. The panel also voted to meet again prior to the adjournment of this year’s legislative session to decide how to approach next year – whether to continue this year’s course of no longer taking or considering grant applications for the funds.