By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports
The Idaho House of Representatives passed the long-awaited appropriation for the Idaho Launch Program in a 39-31 vote on Thursday.
The grant program, a key part of Gov. Brad Little’s 2024 legislative agenda, is aimed at workforce development for in-demand careers, providing high school seniors with up to $8,000 for tuition and fees for education. HB 722 provides nearly $80 million for Launch grants. Bill sponsor Rep. James Petzke, R-Meridian, said it will cover 8,875 students.
“There was really only one thing we had to decide,” Petzke said. “And that was how many students should end up getting these Launch grants?”
But the lead-up to the vote was fraught. Last year, the bill to establish the Launch program passed the House by just one vote. And earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Moyle, a vocal opponent of the program, sent HB 722 to the Ways and Means Committee, an occasional way to kill a bill without a vote or hearing. The House pulled the bill out of the committee for a vote on Thursday.
As of March 13, 13,598 students had begun their Launch grant application, and 12,520 applications had been submitted, according to Madison Hardy, Little’s spokesperson.
During Thursday’s debate, multiple legislators spoke about families they knew who had applied and were accepted to their program of choice, but would be unable to attend the program without the grant.
Rep. Lance Clow, R-Twin Falls, said when lawmakers established the program last year, he voted against it in committee but supported it on the House floor. But now, students are relying on it, he said.
“We have a moral obligation to follow through with what we did last year,” Clow said.
Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle, voted against the bill.
“Free money is always something people just line up for,” he said. “…It’s sad that we’re having to incentivize kids to actually care about their future. It’s sad that we’re actually having to incentivize parents to care about their kids’ future and push for this.”
“I don’t know where this actually ends,” Tanner continued. “I don’t know if we end with kids after they graduate do we give them credit cards, put money on there and say ‘here you go, have fun’ and the rest of the people are just gonna pay for it. I do think this is a bad precedent to set and I think we’re going down a bad road.”
Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, supported the bill. McCann, who serves on the Workforce Development Council, said only 38% of high school seniors in Idaho go on to higher education, but with Launch, that could increase to 65%.
“This is an Idaho program for Idaho kids that will get training, get jobs and come back as higher paid folks who will be paying taxes,” McCann said.
Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, voted against the bill.
“There’s a program already in place that costs the state of Idaho nothing, where you can get your college paid for,” Crane said. “You can go to do great things like fly helicopters and learn how to drive tanks. It’s called the Idaho Army National Guard. And you can join for free and sign a six-year contract and they’ll pay for your college, you’ll get life skills and learn Army values.”
Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls, works with teenagers and knows some who have been accepted to the Launch program. To deny those students now, “I feel that would be extremely cruel of us,” he said.
All members of the House Republican leadership except Majority Caucus Chair Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, voted against the bill.
That bill now heads to Senate.
No votes: Alfieri, Barbieri, Andrus, Boyle, Cannon, Crane (12), Crane (13), Dixon (1), Ehardt, Ehlers, Gallagher, Hawkins, Healey, Holtzclaw, Kingsley, Lambert, Mendive, Monks, Moyle, Mitchell, Palmer, Pickett, Price, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Skaug, Tanner, Vander Woude, Wisniewski, Young
Yes votes: Achilles, Allgood, Berch, Blanksma, Bundy, Burns, Cheatum, Clow, Chew, Cornilles, Dixon (24), Durrant, Erickson, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Handy, Hill, Horman, Lanting, Manwaring, Mathias, McCann, Micklesen, Miller, Necochea, Nelsen, Petzke, Raybould, Raymond, Roberts, Rubel, Sauter, Weber, Wheeler, Wroten, Yamamoto
Ruth Brown | Producer
Ruth Brown grew up in South Dakota and her first job out of college was covering the South Dakota Legislature. She’s since moved on to Idaho lawmakers. Brown spent 10 years working in print journalism, including newspapers such as the Idaho Statesman and Idaho Press, where she’s covered everything from the correctional system to health care issues. She joined Idaho Reports in 2021 and looks forward to telling stories about how state policy can impact the lives of regular Idahoans.