BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday signed sweeping budget cuts into law for the current fiscal year, delivering a win to hardliners in his own party who have pushed this session for shrinking the size of Idaho’s government.
The law will require a 1% additional cut at most state agencies beyond the 3% holdbacks Little ordered last summer to account for revenue shortfalls. That’s a 1% cut that must be accounted for within the remaining three and a half months of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. Agency officials have said the reductions will include funding for career technical education and also limit the construction management major at Boise State University.
“Idahoans expect their state government to operate efficiently and effectively, and the balanced budget we approved for the current fiscal year delivers on both fronts,” Little said in a statement Tuesday. “I appreciate my partners in the Legislature for working closely with my office to rightsize state government to match the taxpayers’ means while minimizing the impact of spending reductions.”…