Public shares views on state's budget
<p>At left, Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, during a two-hour public hearing Friday morning at the Idaho Capitol building in Boise, where members of the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee listened to what 44 Idaho citizens had to say on budget matters. Keough is vice-chair of the Senate Finance Committee. At center: Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, another member of the joint budget committee. (Photo by DAVE GOINS)</p>
BOISE — State budget writers on Friday listened to what 44 Idaho citizens had to say on budget matters.
Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, called the outcome of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee’s two-hour public hearing, “a reaffirmation of what folks’ priorities are for those dollars.”
“I think it’s always informative for us to hear directly from the people whose lives we impact with funding, both those who receive services, and the taxpayers as a whole, as well,” said Keough, R-Sandpoint, vice-chair of the Legislature’s Senate Finance Committee. “And so, I think each of us always pays close attention to what the general public has to say, and then we take that into consideration and do the best we can with the resources that we have.”
Topics before the joint budget committee included citizens’ priorities for improving health care and education, maintaining technology in the classroom, funding for the Idaho State Police, and more.
“There continues to be concern about funding for our education, and for health care for our needy and vulnerable citizens, especially our mentally ill and disabled population,” Keough said about the testimony.
“So, that’s what struck me as consistent themes that we heard.”