APPROPRIATIONS – COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITIES – Relates to the appropriation to the State Board of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho for College and Universities and the Office of the State Board of Education for fiscal year 2026.

This bill appropriates $7.23 million for Idaho's public colleges and universities for fiscal year 2026, allocating funds to institutions like Boise State, Idaho State, and the University of Idaho. It includes $4 million in operating expenditure reductions and mandates specific new requirements: transparency for Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine negotiations, $1 million for water research via the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, a transition to outcomes-based funding by 2028, and DEI compliance audits for all public universities. The funding details and new provisions are codified in the bill's sections, effective July 1, 2025. It directly affects Idaho's public higher education institutions and the State Board of Education.