house✓ Signed
Relates to the appropriation to the Department of Lands for fiscal year 2020.
This is the FY 2020 original appropriation bill for the Department of Lands. It appropriates a total of $60,255,200 and caps the number of authorized full-time equivalent positions at 323.82. For benefit costs, the bill maintains the current appropriated amount for health insurance at $11,650 per eligible FTP; provides a 5.5% increase for the employer's share of PERSI contributions; and temporarily reduces the rate agencies pay the Division of Human Resources for its services. Inflationary adjustments include $6,300 for rent increases at the Capitol Park Plaza in Boise. Funding for replacement items includes $1,874,500 for 13 vehicles and accessories, five fire engines, networking and computer equipment, and communication equipment. For statewide cost allocation, $9,300 is provided. The bill also provides funding for the equivalent of a 3% change in employee compensation for permanent employees, with a minimum increase of $550 for each employee and the remaining amount to be distributed based on merit. The bill funds nine line items, which provide: 1.00 FTP and $83,900 to hire a right-of-way agent to focus on cooperative agreements with federal and industrial partners to acquire access; 1.00 FTP and $86,600 for an IT Systems Coordinator to address cyber security issues and address the growth in technical assistance requests; $391,600 to build two insulated tree cooler buildings to prevent heat stress on 1 million saplings annually; 0.67 FTP and $32,400 to bring a temporary and unbenefited position to a permanent part-time position to address turnover in the Eastern Area Office; $26,200 for a 3% CEC and inflationary adjustment for the Clearwater-Potlatch and Southern Idaho Timber Protective Associations; $357,000 to address the fiscal impact of the Forest Practices Act (H44 of 2019); a $20 million transfer from the General Fund to the Fire Suppression Deficiency Fund; and $23,600 for GOV TECH 1 Core Network Equipment Replacement. This bill also includes language to a