Most Idaho state employees could see about a 5% raise come July in a recommendation approved by a legislative committee Thursday.

Specifically, the proposal calls for a $1.55 hourly pay bump. That works out to at least a 5% raise for those earning less than $64,500 annually.

Democrats on the Change in Employee Compensation Committee, like Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking (D-Boise), voted against the measure, saying it didn’t go far enough – especially for higher paid workers.

“I’m worried that they’re not even going to keep up with the cost of living and that’s really a problem for me,” Ward-Engelking said.

After experiencing some of the highest rates of inflation in the country in 2022, prices in the Mountain region rose just 1.7% from November 2023 to November 2024.

The latest data from an Idaho Department of Human Resources labor market study show state workers here, on average, earn 15.1% less than the median wage of public and private sector employees in the region.

That’s also factoring in healthcare and retirement benefits, which are more generous than the private sector.

Base salaries across Idaho state workers are 25.1% below average compared to the median regional public and private sector employees.

The CEC Committee approved an 8% pay raise for Idaho State Police troopers to help retain and recruit more officers.

“It takes years of training and expense to produce a trooper with the experience to handle all the things that a trooper has to handle and this has become, in my opinion, a public safety issue,” said Sen. Dan Foreman (R-Viola).

Nurses and healthcare staff would get a 3% raise under the plan, with IT workers earning up to 4.5% pay hikes.

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee will consider the recommendation before finalizing a bill.

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Idaho firefighters are making their way to assist and protect communities threatened by wildfires burning in the greater Los Angeles area in southern California.

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, and at least five fires are burning covering more than 45 square miles there, according to NBC News.

The state of Idaho is mobilizing five task forces in a response to a request from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, according to a press release from the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.

“The Idaho Office of Emergency Management and the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association have coordinated efforts to evaluate available resources across the state,” and ” stand ready to provide additional assistance as needed,” the press release said.

As of Wednesday evening, 104 firefighters and 25 fire engines from Idaho were preparing to deploy this morning to support California’s response efforts, and the task forces are set to arrive in southern California on Friday, the press release stated. The task forces were mobilized from fire agencies throughout the state, including personnel from the city of Emmett and Kootenai County, as well as the Idaho National Laboratory in southern Idaho.

“Emergencies like these remind us of the critical importance of teamwork and mutual aid,” said Idaho Fire Chiefs Association President Kirk Carpenter in the release. “Idaho firefighters are prepared to join the fight in California, standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners to protect communities in harm’s way.”

The assistance compact has been invaluable to states facing wildfire, “ensuring that states can rely on each other during crises,” said Idaho Office of Emergency Management Director Brad Richy said in the release.

“After receiving support during our own wildfire seasons, Idaho is proud to return the favor by providing resources and personnel to help protect California’s communities,” he said.

The Emergency Management Assistance Compact was ratified by the U.S. Congress (Public Law 104-321) in 1996 and applies to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The compact’s members can share personnel and resources from all disciplines, protect personnel who deploy to emergencies and be reimbursed for mission-related costs, according to the compact’s website.

“The EMAC is a vital interstate compact that provides a proven mutual aid framework allowing states to share resources during times of disaster or emergency,” the release stated. “All costs associated with deploying resources under EMAC are paid for by the requesting state.”

BOISE, Idaho — In response to the devastating wildfires currently sweeping across Los Angeles County, Idaho will send five task forces to help protect communities threatened by the ongoing fires.

Sand Hollow Fire Protection District preparing to deploy to SoCal fires

The move comes in response to a request from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. In total, Idaho will send 104 firefighters and 25 fire engines to the Los Angeles area on Thursday morning. The task forces, which were coordinated by the Idaho Office of Emergency Management and the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association, hope to be in place on Friday.

IFCA president, Kirk Carpenter says the task forces are ready to “stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners to protect communities in harm’s way.”

As of this writing, 5 people have perished in the various fires ravaging Los Angeles County and 100,000 have been evacuated from their homes.