Idaho Bills

Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Agriculture and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

This appropriation provides enhancements to the FY 2026 maintenance budgets for the Department of Agriculture and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Enhancements to the Department of Agriculture include a pay structure for agricultural investigators, a 5% change in employee compensation for fresh fruit and vegetable inspectors, replacement items, and IT hardware. Enhancements for the Soil and Water Conservation Commission include onetime funding to replace a vehicle and support the Water Quality Program for Agriculture (WQPA). This legislation also includes a FY 2025 deficiency warrant to reimburse actual expenditures incurred in FY 2024formonitoringandcontrolofexoticspeciesincludingJapanesebeetles,Mormoncrickets,andotherexotic pests. Chapters 19 and 20, Title 22, Idaho Code, authorizes the Department of Agriculture to use deficiency warrants for the monitoring and mitigation of invasive species and pests.