ISP funding shift bill narrowly dies in Idaho House

The Idaho House has killed a measure that would shift $17 million from the Idaho State Police budget to repair the state’s roads and bridges.

Currently, state police receive 5 percent of the first 25 cents of the state’s fuel tax revenue. The remaining revenue is split between local highway districts and state roads.

However, lawmakers trying to find more money for the state’s aging infrastructure say those funds should be used for transportation projects.

Yet doing so would have slashed ISP’s budget by more than 20 percent.

Republican Rep. Maxine Bell of Jerome, who co-chairs the powerful legislative budget committee, said Tuesday the state should not create a gaping hole in the ISP budget to put a Band-Aid on the transportation budget.

HB 157 died on the floor 33-37.