This morning, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is handling supplemental appropriations for the current year, some of which are fairly minor, like shifts of a small amount of money from one spending category to another within an agency. Some of the more substantive requests have been delayed for consideration when JFAC takes up the agency's budget for next year. So far, one that was approved that actually required spending more general-fund money this year: The public safety officer dependent scholarship, which lawmakers enacted a year ago, grants full-tuition scholarships to the dependents of Idaho peace officers or firefighters who are killed in the line of duty. Under the new law, two scholarships were granted in fiscal year 2010. Now, two more students are entering the four-year scholarship program in fiscal year 2011, which means it needs $30,000 more. JFAC voted 18-1 to fund the program; the one dissenter, Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, didn't say why he voted no.

After considering a full slate of supplemental appropriation requests this morning, JFAC is scheduled to set a target figure for setting next year's state budget.