The ink is still drying on Idaho’s new state budget, but we’re getting a closer look at where legislators decided to spend the most money. Idaho’s general fund budget increased to $5.1 billion this session, a 12% hike from the year before. Here are the top 10 allocations:
1.) Public school support - $2.698 billion (up 16.4%)
Note: Over the past decade, Idaho has increased K-12 spending 106%.
2.) Division of Medicaid - $856.3 million (up 3.2%)
Note: This represents the state portion of Medicaid expansion and not the total spending that is split between the federal government and the state.
3.) Colleges and Universities - $353.9 million (up 4.7%)
4.) Department of Correction - $321.7 million (up 7.5%)
5.) Department of Health and Welfare - $214 million (up 10%)
6.) Career Technical Education - $76.5 million (up 4.5%)
7.) Judicial Branch - $62.4 million (up 5.9%)
8.) Community Colleges - $60.9 million (up 7%)
9.) Idaho State Police - $51.8 million (up 21.2%)
10.) Department of Juvenile Corrections - $48.5 million (up 5.4%)
While these spending increases are significant, other parts of the budget saw much larger hikes. For example, the state Board of Education’s budget increased a whopping 338.6%. The Secretary of State’s budget went up 228.4%. And the budget for the office of the Lieutenant Governor surged 44.4%.
The Secretary of State’s allocation was mainly for an upgrade to the state’s election system, as Phil McGrane detailed in his original budget request.
Part of the increase for the state Board of Education is allocated to the popular Empowering Parents program. But it also funds more than a dozen new, full time positions.