BOISE, Idaho — In the wake of the murders of four University of Idaho students, Idaho House lawmakers voted on Thursday to give the university an extra $1 million.
The money would go to the U of I for unexpected expenses and increased security on campus following the murders. The university's request listed support from Idaho State Police, a safe shuttle service, added security, counseling services and a campus vigil.
The university also shared a list of how the money has been and will be used through the end of the school year.
Supplemental funding in House Bill 222 would come from the state's general fund, according to the bill’s fiscal note.
“There are many expenses incurred in something like that that we never think about every day in terms of how a university deals with that. There were of course tremendous security issues, counseling issues that came along,” the bill’s floor sponsor Rep. Steve Miller (R-Fairfield) told his fellow lawmakers on the House floor during the third reading of the bill on Thursday morning.
While 56 state representatives voted for the bill, 14 voted against it. Most of the lawmakers who voted against the bill are from North Idaho - a region three of the four stabbing victims and their families are from, and the region where the University of Idaho sits.
KTVB reached out to each of the ten Idaho Panhandle representatives to find out why they cast a ‘nay’ vote; only two representatives responded to our request for comment.
Rep. Joe Alfieri (R-Coeur d’Alene) told KTVB he voted against it because of the "suspiciously round figure of one million dollars."
Alfieri said he's happy to support a bill reimbursing for "actual dollars spent to cover the costs spent by police and local entities in handling this horrible event. But the figure proposed seemed like a guestimate, and no details of any costs were provided.”
“I’m always ready to vote to vote [sic] to reimburse for costs incurred, but it is my (our) responsibility to examine those costs, which requires actual numbers, not estimates,” Rep. Alfieri told KTVB via email.
Rep. Sage Dixon (R-Ponderay) also said he voted ‘no’ because he doesn't know what the money will be used for and believes giving $1 million to the Board of Education to give to a university “is not something to do indiscriminately”.
“I felt this might set a bad precedent of expectation for other public institutions that experience a traumatic event. Davy Crockett’s speech “Not yours to give” came to mind as well,” Dixon told KTVB via email.
According to the bill’s text, University of Idaho leaders have to submit a report with a list of itemized expenditures to the Legislative Services Office by August 1 of this year.
If the university needs more money in the future, they'll revisit those costs with the legislature at a later time.
HB 222 now goes to the Senate for a vote.
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