Christopher Lehossett — Christopher Lehossett of the Legislative Services Office, a budget and policy analyst, introduces himself and notes that there is a new edition of the green sheet, then follows up with an update on the green sheet and explains how to access it online.
Mr. Lehossett — Concluded the presentation and invited questions.
Mr. LaHosette — Answered Representative Tanner that he did not remember the supplemental amount and would consult Mr. Peterson.
Mr. Peterson — Named as the colleague the speaker would consult.
Mr. Bivey — Mr. Bivey is introduced, then delivers his prepared remarks and offers to answer questions. He also clarifies that the additional motions do not include cuts for public schools, Idaho State Police, the Division of Medicaid, or correction.
Keith Bivey — Introduced himself as division manager for budget and policy analysis and began the next agenda item.
Kevin Cook — He says the committee has long known about the revenue shortfall and has worked through budgets line by line to find responsible cuts.
Kevin Cook — He says members have found significant cuts and questions why the committee would vote for an across-the-board reduction.
Kevin Cook — He urges the chair to bypass the agenda item and argues that the across-the-board approach is not precise.
Kevin Cook — His comments are acknowledged by the chair.
Kevin Cook — He repeats his request to bypass the agenda item and move to agenda item two.
Kevin Cook — He begins another comment, referring to the committee's vote on projected revenue and the budget structure.
Kevin Cook — Argued that the committee should do its work and that the motion should not happen.
Kevin Cook — His concerns and earlier question/comment are acknowledged.
Kevin Cook — His concerns are referenced regarding the departments and agencies being asked for their preferred cuts.
Kevin Cook — His point is summarized as advocating for agency-specific reductions rather than across-the-board cuts.
Kevin Cook — Senator Cook is described as having done hard work and as being dissatisfied with the process of the overall cuts.
Kevin Cook — His concerns were addressed; the speaker said the committee still has the ability to look for other areas to cut.
Kevin Cook — Senator Cook is called on to speak during a brief procedural exchange.
Kevin Cook — Senator Cook is mentioned first during roll call and then as seconding a substitute motion. He is later referenced as having previously raised the idea of flexibility in the work groups, with that point reiterated again in the ongoing discussion.
Kevin Cook — Senator Kevin Cook first explained that because he seconded the substitute motion he believed he had to vote nay, then asked to change his vote to aye. Later, during the roll call vote on the original motion, he was called again as part of the voting process.
Kevin Cook — Called during the roll call on the substitute motion.
Kevin Cook — Called during the roll vote and recorded as aye.
Kevin Cook — Kevin Cook is repeatedly called during roll call across several consecutive entries.
Dale Hawkins — Invited to ask a question/comment; likely a mis-transcription of a member's name, but kept as spoken because uncertain.
Jim Guthrie — The speaker repeatedly references Senator Cook’s position on the budget, agreeing that agencies and budgets should be reviewed individually rather than applying a blanket cut. The discussion also acknowledges Cook’s concern about lack of input on the governor’s budget and returns to Cook’s broader point that lawmakers need to make the hard decisions.
Jim Guthrie — Identified as the second on the first motion.
Jim Guthrie — Likely the intended identity behind 'Senator Jerky' as the second, though uncertain.
Jim Guthrie — Jim Guthrie moved to appropriate and transfer $45 million from the Strategic Initiatives Fund to the General Fund, then explained that general fund money had not traditionally been used for transportation and that dedicated transportation funding should be used instead. The transcript also includes brief roll-call references to 'Hart' during the same procedural exchange.
James Woodward — The chair recognized Senator Woodward, and Woodward then explained that the public should understand exactly what the committee was voting on, clarifying that the first vote concerns whether to take more money out of the current budget year.
James Woodward — Senator Woodward was invited to make a motion and then moved to reduce general fund appropriations by $116,161,300 for fiscal year 2026. The motion was identified as his, and he later clarified that it was a simple 3% cut for FY 2026 only, not an ongoing recommendation or permanent change.
James Woodward — Senator Woodward asked for clarification on the budget scenario sheet and the three scenarios, and Mr. Bybee responded by clarifying the revenue-side adjustment in relation to that question.
James Woodward — Credited with raising a good point about fiscal impacts of legislation.
James Woodward — Called during roll call and recorded as voting aye.
James Woodward — Called during roll call and recorded as aye.
James Woodward — Called during roll call and recorded as aye.
James Woodward — Moved a substitute motion to reduce base budgets by approximately 3%.
James Woodward — Recorded as voting aye.
James Woodward — Called on to vote on the substitute motion.
James Woodward — Votes no on the substitute motion.
James Woodward — Called during roll call vote on the original motion.
James Woodward — Identified as the next member to ask a question.
James Woodward — Asks for an explanation of the agency-specific field rate language in the packet.
James Woodward — Addressed by the speaker while explaining that the proposal only affects the incremental health insurance adjustment.
James Woodward — During the roll-call vote, Senator Woodward was called multiple times and recorded as voting aye.
Christy Zito — Senator Carlson asked whether approving the governor's recommendation would still allow the committee to adjust certain budget items, and the response confirmed that such adjustments would still be possible.
Christy Zito — Christy Zito was repeatedly called during roll call, with her name appearing in the transcript in slightly different forms ('Cidervel,' 'Zidervel,' and 'Zito').
Steven Tanner — Co-Chair Tanner introduced a substitute FY 2026 motion to reduce general fund appropriations, describing it as a larger reduction than the original proposal. He clarified that the substitute reflected the governor’s recommendation plus an additional 1% cut. When invited to comment further, he explained that the extra 1% reduction would affect Medicaid, K-12 education, state police, and corrections, emphasizing that the budget is already very slim.