Panel OKs $251M in capital projects

BOISE — The joint budget committee approved another $251 million in capital projects Thursday, including $11 million to provide private offices for Idaho House lawmakers.

The 2022 supplemental budget for the Permanent Building Fund also provides $75 million in matching funds to renovate Idaho’s three state veterans homes, plus $112 million for a new, 848-bed women’s prison.

In separate actions, the committee approved a $15 million supplemental budget for the Workforce Development Council to help expand child care capacity in the state, and $3.5 million for the Idaho Commission on Libraries to address telehealth needs in local communities.

Line items on the budget include:

Private office space — House office space has been something House Republican leadership has been pushing for several years, without success.

Every member of the Idaho Senate already has their own individual office. They also had access to private meeting space. That’s been the case since 2010, when a major remodel and expansion of the Statehouse was completed.

In the House, by contrast, only a portion of lawmakers have private offices. Most are in open-air cubicles. There’s also a limited amount of meeting space.

“Back when they did the remodel, the House decided to forgo permanent offices for members,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian. “The idea was to spend less now and come back another time. Well, this is another time.”

The $11 million investment would provide private offices for all 70 members of the House, plus meeting space.

It would also address some safety issues, Monks said, such as emergency exits.

“At some point we think it’s appropriate that House members get treated the same as the Senate,” he said.

Convincing senators of that has been difficult, though. In 2019, they killed a $10.9 million appropriation bill on an 18-17 vote. Last year they declined to consider a $1.9 million request to pay for a portion of the renovations.

Veterans homes — The $75 million for the Division of Veterans Services would allow veterans homes in Lewiston, Boise and Pocatello to convert shared rooms into private single rooms.

The division is currently applying for federal grant funding through the Veterans Administration’s State Home Construction Grant Program. This $75 million in state funding would provide the necessary 35% local match.

Women’s prison — The $112 million, 848-bed women’s prison would be located in the Boise area. It’s part of a broader plan to stop housing prisoners in out-of-state facilities, and would allow about 700 beds in other state facilities to be repurposed for men.

Child care expansion — The appropriation to expand child care uses $15 million in federal stimulus funding to provide grants to business owners to build new or expanded childcare facilities.

“I have four daughters,” said Rep. Caroline Troy, R-Genesee. “Two of them are parents, and neither is in the workforce because they can’t find child care. I think that’s true across the state. This (appropriation) is a really great way to encourage additional childcare infrastructure.”

Library telehealth — The $3.5 million for the Commission on Libraries also comes from federal stimulus funds. It would support competitive telehealth grants for local libraries to provide equipment and private space where patrons can have remote consultations with their physicians.

Thursday’s action comes in addition to the $150 million the committee appropriated to the Permanent Building Fund last week, which will be used to address the deferred maintenance backlog on state facilities.

All of the budgets still need to make their way through the House and Senate.

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.