Beyond the Books: Budget Cut Bill passes the House

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho lawmakers are moving ahead with spending cuts this year, even as they continue working on next year's state budget.

Last week, the House approved a bill that cuts about $131 million from this year's state budget.

Most of those cuts were already happening. Governor Brad Little ordered 3% cuts for most state agencies last summer, but lawmakers added about 15 million more in cuts on top of that.

These cuts apply to the current fiscal year, which ends June 30th.

Lawmakers say the goal is to free up some breathing room as they deal with a tight budget and start working on next year's spending plans.

With a range of costs on the rise, local K-12 school leaders, such as in the Bonneville School District, have been gearing up for budget cuts. The Bonneville district already planned to cut their budget, and higher education is likely to take an even bigger hit.

There has been some legislative pushback. Lawmakers have pointed out the state is about $101.3 billion in reserve funds, leading them to question why cuts are happening now. Others argue the state helped create the budget pressure after passing about $450 million in tax cuts last year.

Some conservatives have said the cuts are long overdue. Budget leaders also say the tax collections are coming in lower than expected this year, so they're trying to be cautious. Despite the debate — and there was a lot of back and forth on the statehouse floor — the vote ended up not being close at all. 

The House passed the bill (48 - 22).

The Senate had already approved it earlier in the week, so now the bill is on Governor Brad Little's desk for his signature.

Parental choice programs have not been affected, the $50 million for those tax credits are already in place, and they've been upheld by the Supreme Court. 

You can find more information on local education on idahoednews.org.