JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron said the joint committee's goal is to balance the budget, but members understand that some areas of the state budget can't take further cuts - including corrections, Idaho State Police, the judicial branch and ag research. "In my opinion ... we have made wise decisions in holding those entities harmless," Cameron said. "Unfortunately that means for others that they pick up more of the slack, that they pick up that adjustment. ... I wish it were different. I do believe the universities and colleges can handle the reduction." He said, "Our job is to try and keep us on the path that hits that $2.509 billion target."

Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, said Cameron's right. "We can't have any whining and sniveling or anything else when it comes to that final number," Wood said. "Now having said that, higher ed has been used as a bank for the last two years, in effect." He said he's backing Mortimer's motion.

Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, said, "What some people may consider whining and sniveling others consider advocacy." She then made an amended substitute motion: Identical to Cameron's, but adding in a shift of dedicated funds totaling $4.8 million from the public school facilities cooperative fund, reducing the hit on the universities by that amount. "Anything we can do to relieve the inevitable increases in tuition that come from cuts in this budget we should do," she said, "and I think we should take that very seriously."

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