Janie Ward-Engelking — The speaker references legislative delegation and board authority for evaluating recreation opportunities.
Melissa Wintrow — Called during roll call and marked present.
Melissa Wintrow — Senator Wintrow engages the director in a sustained discussion about the implications of funding reductions and rescissions, expressing concern about the lawsuit, holdbacks, and whether the agency can absorb 3% cutbacks. The exchange continues into broader operational risks, including caseload balance, attorney retention, statutory obligations, court exposure, and the need for supplemental child protection funding.
Steven Tanner — Called during roll call as 'Representative Tanner.'
Rod Furniss — Called during roll call; transcript says 'Furnace.'
Rod Furniss — Was thanked for walking the Ashtonia Trail with the director to help ensure equestrians would be accommodated.
James Petzke — Called during roll call; transcript says 'Petsky.'
James Petzke — Representative Petsky asks about the department’s new positions for recently acquired land in Lemhi County and requests the backstory on the acquisition. He then follows up by asking whether the property is expected to generate revenue and whether a pro forma or estimate has been prepared. A later mention simply notes that he had already asked the earlier questions.
Dustin Manwaring — Called during roll call.
Anne Haws — Janet Jessup introduced herself as a budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services and began presenting the budget overview for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Jason Monks — The speaker addresses Mr. Chairman while transitioning into the question period, stating a willingness to stand for questions and inviting questions for the director, Buxford.
Mr. Jessup — The analyst offers to answer questions and yield to the agency.
Director Buxton — The committee asks to hear from Director Buxton next.
Susan Buxton — The director of the Department of Parks and Recreation introduces herself and begins describing the board and staff present.
Edward Hill — The director is being addressed and asked whether to continue scrolling through the presentation.
Edward Hill — Representative Harris thanks the director for the work on parks and asks about FTP staffing, focusing on current vacancies. He notes that the agency has eight vacancies and is requesting 4.9 more positions, then asks why some of the existing vacancies are not being shifted to cover the requested positions and whether the agency is having difficulty filling jobs.
Brandon Mitchell — Representative Mitchell was discussed in connection with the marina incident: he reportedly went out on the dock and watched it sink under his feet, and the speaker also noted having talked with him about the situation.
Brandon Mitchell — Representative Mitchell thanked the director for being present and then asked whether charging higher fees for out-of-state residents is improving access for Idahoans, specifically whether it affects fill rates and whether unfilled spots reduce revenue.
Codi Galloway — Was asked whether she took family pictures at the old calf barn.
Elaine Price — Referenced as part of the area where fewer people are using parks like Round Lake.
James Woodward — Referenced as part of the area where fewer people are using parks like Round Lake.
Chris Bruce — Representative Bruce thanked the director and then raised a question about the OHV media campaign, asking whether the 2025-2026 campaign met its goals.
Chris Bruce — Representative Chris Bruce asks the director to explain how the guardian ad litem program works and how it differs from CPA cases, then follows up by asking what kind of training is provided and whether it is continuing education.
Janica Bichard — Introduced as the next presenter.
Janica Bicharat — Introduced herself as a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office and presented the Office of the State Public Defender budget.
Josh Tanner — Representative Miller asks a series of follow-up questions about the status of county agreement and MOU issues affecting public defense operations, including whether the lease issues are complete, when the remaining county limitations will be resolved, how hearing continuations were handled when no public defender was present, and whether the attorney staffing structure has enough expertise to manage complex cases.
Director Fredrickson — Director Fredrickson explains the state’s public defense transition and how success is measured by a stable system with controlled caseloads and workloads. He notes the state relieved counties of about $39 million in taxes and now covers many related costs, including transcript expenses, with county officials pleased by the change. He then describes the difficult transition when some attorneys withdrew from cases on October 1, forcing district defenders to cover court daily and creating a major early strain, though he says the system is now stable and constitutional after being built in about a year. He adds that experts expected stabilization to take three to five years and that the agency still has a 7% vacancy rate. The discussion then turns to guardian ad litem reimbursement and attorney training requirements, including CLE credits for trial and capital attorneys, the use of online training, and the state’s responsibility to pay for its attorneys’ training. He concludes by addressing staffing and compensation, saying a few attorneys still contract with the office but none are state public defenders, and noting that public defenders are paid less than county prosecutors and the attorney general’s office, while encouraging higher prosecutor salaries to support equal representation.
Todd Lakey — Asks about the bill's promise to relieve counties and reduce property taxes.
Ms. Fredrickson — Referenced as the person who opened the discussion on the bill.
Kevin Cook — Senator Kevin Cook asks Mr. Fredrickson about the day-one removal of about 1,300 cases or decisions, seeking clarification on what happened and whether the effect was positive or negative.
Tammy Nichols — Likely the intended speaker name is unclear; transcript says 'Senator Burki,' which does not match the expected member list.
Mark Harris — Senator Hart discusses Idaho’s statewide public defender system, asking how many other states use a similar model, recalling that the legislation was controversial when passed, and asking what metrics should be used to judge whether the system is successful in Idaho. The exchange also touches on whether the reform achieved its intended goals of reducing county burden and property taxes.
Cindy Carlson — Cindy Carlson was called during roll call and marked present.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — During roll call, Glenneda Zuiderveld’s name is called, appearing in the transcript as both 'Zyderveld' and 'Ziderveld.'
Glenneda Zuiderveld — Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld raises concerns about attorney compensation during the transition, noting that contract attorneys reported pay scales being reduced from $120 to $100 per hour and asking whether any attorneys who disrupted the transition are still employed by the state. She then follows up by asking for relative pay differences between local prosecutors and public defenders, seeking a general comparison of compensation and competitiveness.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Called during roll call; transcript splits her last name into two words.
Mark Harris — Called during roll call; the transcript appears to mean Harris, though the audio text is unclear.
Mark Harris — Discussed Hell's Gate Marina with the speaker.