At the Statehouse Wednesday, it’s the calm after the storm.
Two days ago, Gov. Brad Little launched the 2023 legislative session with his State of the State address. His ambitious budget proposal would put $145.6 million into teacher pay raises, $120 million into some form of property tax relief and $80 million into scholarships for high school graduates, among other items.
But after Monday’s big kickoff, Wednesday is a slow news day.
Neither the House or Senate education committees have meetings on tap. (House Education held an informational session Tuesday, but Senate Education hasn’t scheduled its first meeting yet.)
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee met this morning — but after spending part of Tuesday morning taking their first look at Little’s budget proposal, the committee dug into the budget process this morning.
The House and Senate will hold their required floor sessions Wednesday, but they’re likely to be short, with no business on the docket.
None of this is a surprise. It is the typical rhythm of the session.
It will be more than a month before JFAC starts writing budget bills — but agency budget presentations will dominate the committee’s schedule for the next several weeks. It takes days, if not weeks, for legislation to get into the pipeline in the other committees. Meanwhile, committees will spend much of January reviewing (and occasionally rejecting) agency rules.
Follow Idaho Education News for ongoing coverage of the Legislature.
