IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Legislators dove into a slew of hot topics at a Legislative Preview event Thursday.
Debates over the budget, state programs cuts, education, advancing nuclear power, and health care featured prominently at the program hosted by the Bonneville County Republican Party at the Snake River Events Center at the Shilo Inn.
Idaho’s Budget
Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls) serves as co-chairman of the powerful Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) that sets the state budget.
She said that reports of an Idaho state budget crisis this year are overblown.
Projected revenues are down $48 million, Horman reported, which is 0.34 percent of the state’s overall $14 billion-plus budget.
“The governor called for some holdbacks in the current budget year and also in the next budget year,” Horman said. “We will assess those when we get to session in January, see what the real numbers are –not just forecast numbers, make some decisions and set a balanced budget.”
Currently, Idaho’s corporate tax revenues are down $67 million, due to projected business savings from the One Big Beautiful Bill, she explained. However, state sales tax revenues are up $23.4 million, pointing to a robust economy.
“We have over $1.3 billion in savings. That’s much more than we had going into the recession. And we’re not going into a recession. By all accounts, today, the economy’s strong,” Horman said.
Education
On the education front, Idaho is experiencing a demographic shift.
Declining enrollment may impact public schools, with 3,000 fewer students statewide.
“The governor did not request a three percent pullback in public schools,” Horman said. “What we’re seeing is that Idaho has now joined the list of what used to be 41 states, as of 2023, who have had declining enrollment.”
Idaho Senator Dave Lent (R-Idaho Falls) chairs the Senate Education Committee and held education hearings across the state this summer to “modernize” and create an education system that directly engages with area businesses to better prepare students for life after school.
“The current public school system is failing, and we have to do something,” Lent said. “… I think we can move from a didactic, teacher-led model to a teacher-facilitated model – using a lot more technology, and then using the resources of our teacher in the relationship and the mentoring piece that really is the expertise of the personal touch.”
Healthcare / Medicaid Expansion
The lawmakers also delved into the growing Medicaid budget, attempts to repeal Medicaid expansion, peer support program cuts, the doctor shortage and mental health.
The Medicaid budget accounts for more than $5 billion of Idaho’s budget, Horman said.
Rep. Marco Erickson (R-Idaho Falls) mentioned that some legislators will continue to push repealing Medicaid expansion.
The program covers more than 90,000 people and costs $1.2 billion.
Ninty percent of that is paid by the federal government, and $110 million comes from the state.
“On the mental health side, my priority is getting some of those things restored that were just cut,” Rep. Marco Erickson said. “There’s a prevention tier, and that’s the best. It’s the cheapest. … We do the work to keep people out of all those systems.”
Finally, Lent has set a goal to add 30 more slots for Idaho students to attend medical school.
“We have the lowest percentage of doctors per capita in the United States,” Lent said. “So I’ve been co-chairing a committee this year to increase the number of opportunities for Idaho students to become Idaho doctors.”
The Legislature reconvenes on January 12, 2026.
