Idaho bill would give Republicans control of a nonpartisan group.

A bill that would eliminate a bipartisan legislative committee cleared the Idaho House on Thursday, despite concerns that the move would lead to partisan oversight of a nonpartisan research group.

The legislation would eliminate the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, a committee with an equal number of Republicans and Democrats that oversees the Office of Performance Evaluations, a nonpartisan group that conducts research on the impact of state policies and programs.

Instead, the Legislative Council, a joint committee controlled by Republicans, would oversee the Office of Performance Evaluations.

The Legislative Council includes six lawmakers from each party elected by their colleagues. The Senate president pro tem and House speaker also sit on the council, giving an edge to Republicans, who hold supermajorities in both chambers. Joint oversight committee members, on the other hand, are appointed by leaders from each party.

“This streamlines the process. We’re getting rid of the middleman,” said House Majority Leader Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, who is sponsoring the bill. “What this is about is changing the administration so that it’s more reflective of what this body looks like.”

Blanksma on Thursday insisted the legislation wasn’t targeting the Office of Performance Evaluations. But Democrats launched spirited attacks on the proposal, alleging it would alter not only oversight of the group but also its ability to effectively study policy.

The House approved the bill on a near party-line vote. Two Republicans, Reps. Clay Handy, of Burley, and Tony Wisniewski, of Post Falls, opposed it. No Republicans other than Blanksma spoke in favor of the bill Thursday.

Democratic leader concerned about office workload

In recent years, the Office of Performance Evaluations has published reports revealing $850 million is needed to repair school buildings across the state; just 18% of emergency medical service directors are able to maintain sufficient staff; and a state salary funding formula only covers 60% of wages for public school classified employees.

Those reports have “galvanized” lawmakers to take action, said House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise. Rubel acknowledged that voters have elected majority Republicans, giving them the authority to set policy.

“But I do believe there’s something very fundamentally different about the oversight function, about the watchdog,” she said. “When it comes to that function, I do not think it’s appropriate to have the dominant party completely controlling the oversight of its own policies.”

Rubel said the Legislative Council is “not a neutral oversight committee at all.” She noted that Republicans on the committee last year would not allow Democrats to craft an opposing statement for a ballot question to give the Legislature the authority to call itself into session. Republicans, who supported the measure, crafted both the pro and con statements for the constitutional amendment, which voters narrowly approved.

The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee is responsible for auditing state agencies, which includes directing the Office of Performance Evaluations to evaluate programs and policies and appointing the office’s director. The legislation would shift those responsibilities to the Legislative Council while also requiring the Office of Performance Evaluations to review all state agency contracts.

Rubel said the eight-person office does not have the bandwidth to complete the proposed new duties in addition to continuing its deep evaluations.

“It ain’t happening,” she said. “It is fundamentally transforming the agency from deep-dive investigation and evaluation to a super, super high-level overview.”

Blanksma took issue with “aspersions” cast about the Office of Performance Evaluations’ credibility if it’s managed by Republicans. It would be difficult to manipulate what the group studies, she said.

“It’s very specific in Idaho code,” Blanksma said. “In moving it over to the (Legislative Council), we kept that same kind of consistency.”

Public hearing draws heavy opposition to bill

During a public hearing last week, eight people, including a representative of the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, said they opposed the bill. No one testified in favor of it.

Susan King, of Boise, said that she’s appreciated reports from the Office of Performance Evaluations, especially one from 2020 on the state’s response to Alzheimer’s disease, which runs in her family.

“As a taxpayer, I believe that accountability and state government requires that the Office of Performance Evaluations stay neutral and independent,” King said. “I want to have access to accurate, unbiased information about what is going on in my state.”

Rakesh Mohan, director of the Office of Performance Evaluations since 2002, didn’t tell the committee whether he supported the legislation. But, he said, to minimize politics in policymaking, “there is no better system” than having a committee with an equal number of lawmakers from both major political parties.

The bill now heads to the Senate.