H08362026 Regular Session

Adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Personnel Reduction Act and to provide for the reporting of state employee travel expenses.

STATE BUDGET -- Adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Personnel Reduction Act and to provide for the reporting of state employee travel expenses.

STATE BUDGET

IntroducedIn CommitteeFloor VoteEnacted

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

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This legislation deals with state budget issues. First, it makes state government more efficient by requiring state agencies to identify all employee positions that have been vacant for at least 180 days or more and reducing the agency budget request accordingly. For positions vacant for 180 to 364 days, agencies must either eliminate the position and reduce the agency budget request accordingly, or fund and fill the position using existing funds. This will reduce the size of government agencies to a level at which they have already demonstrated the ability to operate. Second, it requires state agencies to report on employee travel for the previous fiscal year when each state agency submits its annual budget request to the Governor and Legislature. Third, the legislation transfers to the legislative branch one third of the positions eliminated in the executive branch including associated fringe benefits.

FISCAL NOTE

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This legislation does not increase or decrease governmental revenues, while it reduces the expenditure of government funds. It will have the effect of reducing government spending as unneeded positions vacant for 180-364 days, and all positions that have been vacant for a year or more are eliminated. For every position being added to the legislative branch, two positions are being eliminated from the overall number employed by the State of Idaho. The exact amount of such savings will not be known until all agency budget requests are submitted on September 1, 2026. Additional savings on state employee travel expenses are likely as better data on these cost are compiled and submitted to state budget policy-makers.

BILL TEXT

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LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO
Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 836
BY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
AN ACT	1
RELATING TO THE STATE BUDGET; AMENDING CHAPTER 35, TITLE 67, IDAHO CODE, BY	2
THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION 67-3520, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE FOR THE	3
IDAHO PERSONNEL REDUCTION ACT; AMENDING CHAPTER 35, TITLE 67, IDAHO	4
CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION 67-3520A, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE	5
FOR THE REPORTING OF STATE EMPLOYEE TRAVEL EXPENSES; AND DECLARING AN	6
EMERGENCY.	7
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:	8
SECTION 1. That Chapter 35, Title 67, Idaho Code, be, and the same is	9
hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-	10
ignated as Section 67-3520, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:	11
67-3520. IDAHO PERSONNEL REDUCTION ACT. (1) It is the intent of the	12
legislature that the Idaho state government performs its duties and serves	13
the public interest as well and efficiently as practicable. Discovering and	14
eliminating government waste will save taxpayer dollars while increasing	15
public confidence in the responsibility and integrity of Idaho state govern-	16
ment.	17
(2) For the purposes of this section:	18
(a) "Department" means a department, agency, institution, or office of	19
the state of Idaho that receives a legislative appropriation for per-	20
sonnel costs.	21
(b) "FTP" means full-time equivalent positions.	22
(3) On or before July 1, 2026, and annually on or before September 1	23
in each year thereafter, every department shall identify the number of cur-	24
rently vacant appropriated FTP, including portions of FTP, within such de-	25
partment that were vacant for more than one hundred eighty (180) calendar	26
days as of the end of the previous fiscal year.	27
(4) Vacant FTP identified in subsection (3) of this section shall be	28
eliminated, and the amount budgeted for the payment of salaries and wages,	29
including associated fringe benefits, of such eliminated FTP shall be re-	30
duced in the department's annual budget submission pursuant to section	31
67-3502, Idaho Code. Alternatively, if the vacant FTP, or portion of FTP,	32
has been vacant for less than one (1) year, a department may request to retain	33
it and shall fully fund the vacant FTP, or portion of FTP, from its existing	34
funds and shall fill the vacancy as soon as practicable.	35
(5) In 2026 and 2027, one-third (1/3) of any executive branch FTP elim-	36
inated pursuant to subsection (4) of this section and one-third (1/3) of any	37
associated fringe benefits shall be annually transferred to the legislative	38
account pursuant to an ongoing transfer and shall be managed by the speaker	39
of the house of representatives and the president pro tempore of the senate.	40
Of the moneys associated with any FTP and fringe benefits transferred to the	41
legislative account pursuant to this subsection, ninety-five percent (95%)	42

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of such resources shall be allocated by the speaker of the house of represen-	1
tatives and the president pro tempore of the senate for district support per-	2
sonnel for individual legislators and associated administrative staff.	3
(6) The number of FTP identified in subsection (3) of this section shall	4
be detailed in the department's annual budget submission required pursuant	5
to section 67-3502, Idaho Code, together with the following information:	6
(a) Each individual vacant FTP or portion of FTP by job title;	7
(b) The length of time the position has been vacant;	8
(c) The job description associated with the position;	9
(d) Whether there is funding available to fill the FTP and, if so, the	10
source of such funds;	11
(e) The reason why the FTP remains vacant; and	12
(f) Whether the department has reduced the FTP from its budget submis-	13
sion or is requesting that the FTP be retained.	14
SECTION 2. That Chapter 35, Title 67, Idaho Code, be, and the same is	15
hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-	16
ignated as Section 67-3520A, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:	17
67-3520A. REPORTING OF IDAHO STATE EMPLOYEE TRAVEL EXPENSES. (1) Con-	18
sistent with the legislative intent provided for in section 67-3520, Idaho	19
Code, it is also the intent of the legislature to discover and eliminate gov-	20
ernment waste involving state employee travel in order to save taxpayer dol-	21
lars while increasing public confidence in the responsibility and integrity	22
of Idaho state government.	23
(2) For the purposes of this section:	24
(a) "Department" means a department, agency, institution, or office of	25
the state of Idaho that receives a legislative appropriation for per-	26
sonnel costs.	27
(b) "Travel expenses" means costs associated with reimbursement of	28
travel or subsistence pursuant to the standard travel pay and allowance	29
act of 1949, chapter 20, title 67, Idaho Code.	30
(3) All travel expenses from the preceding fiscal year shall be de-	31
tailed in the department's annual budget submission required pursuant to	32
section 67-3502, Idaho Code, including detail regarding the following in-	33
formation:	34
(a) Total travel expenses of the department;	35
(b) Identification of all travel occurrences and the purposes of such	36
travel;	37
(c) Travel destinations;	38
(d) Airfare, mileage, car rental, lodging, food, conference fees, and	39
other expenses;	40
(e) Dates of travel; and	41
(f) Portions of any travel expenses that were paid by an entity other	42
than the state of Idaho.	43
SECTION 3. An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby	44
declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after its	45
passage and approval.	46

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