Idaho's legislature is constitutionally required to maintain a balanced budget at the end of each session. The Gem State's shortfall for the current fiscal year 2026 was estimated at tens of millions of dollars by the Legislative Services Office and the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee is proposing across the board budget cuts. The City Club of Boise welcomed lawmakers and a policy expert to talk about the options on the table for getting the state out of the red, impacts to state revenues, policy discussions on both sides of the aisle and the potential costs of conforming to the tax changes in the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in the summer of 2025.
Panelists:
Lt. Governor Scott Bedke
Senator Scott Grow
May Roberts, Policy Analyst with Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy
Senator Janie Ward-Engelking
Moderated by:
Kelley Packer, Executive Director, Association of Idaho Cities