The IHRC will change its location, from office space west of the Idaho Capitol in Boise to the labor department headquarters east of the Capitol, and director Pam Parks said people dealing with the commission shouldn’t see many differences.

“People will not see a change in their ability to file a complaint with us,” she told IdahoReporter.com.  Parks said she and other commission staff have to pack up their offices by Friday, and will be in Department of Labor’s building on Monday.  The two state agencies will hold an open house in honor of the merger on July 1.

The move should save taxpayers $68,000 a year, since the IHRC rents its current office space.  The labor department will also draw from a dedicated fund to pay $144,000 of the IHRC’s next budget,  which totals $821,400.  The rest of the commission’s budget for the next fiscal year, which starts next month, will come from the state general fund.

The idea for the merger came days after Gov. Butch Otter’s budget address in January.  The IHRC was one of several agencies targeted by the governor in January for removal from the general fund, which is supported by taxes.  Otter didn’t call for the elimination of the agencies, but wanted them to be less reliant on tax dollars.  Ultimately, none of the agencies received no funding, though all the targeted agencies did see spending reductions.

“Difficult economic times make people look at issues from different perspectives, and this merger is an example of how that second or third look provides a solution that copes with the realities of living within our means while effectively meeting the needs of Idaho citizens,” Otter said in a news release.

The labor department has long supported the merger.  “The commission’s responsibility goes hand in glove with the mission of this department – to provide Idaho workers access to quality jobs that strengthen and expand communities throughout our state,” director Roger Madsen said in a news release.  Most of the workload for the IHRC, which enforces civil rights laws in Idaho, involves employment disputes.  Seven other states, including Utah and Oregon, have a similar arrangement between human rights agencies and labor departments.

Read the labor department’s news release on the merger here.

Read Otter’s news release below.

FACTS CAN BE STUBBORN – BUT THEY’RE NECESSARY
By Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter

In December 1770, while arguing for the acquittal of British soldiers charged with killing his fellow Americans in the Boston Massacre, John Adams said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

There was a time when most newspaper columnists at least paid lip service to the good intentions of public officials. They might be misguided, shortsighted or simply stupid, the writers would suggest, but at least they meant well. Social niceties were observed; there was a higher level of mutual respect and civility.

That just isn’t the case anymore. Too many writers now ignore, gloss over or leave out facts they find at odds with their conclusion or the point they’re trying to make. Facts after all, as Adams said, can be stubborn things – and inconvenient.

As Governor, I expect to take my share of flak. It’s more than fair to criticize and even blast me. You don’t spend as long as I have in public life, or in business for that matter, without developing a pretty thick skin. But while I’m grateful to live in a country where the Constitution protects our right to freely express our opinions, I still am disappointed when some portray their opinions as facts.

Let me cite a couple of recent cases in point, without either crediting or condemning the offending parties:

The Claim: Otter wants to cut funding for public schools.

The Fact: Faced with revenue shortfalls, a constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, the fact that public schools make up a big share of the State budget, and the political reality that nobody wants to raise taxes – especially in an election year – I made the difficult decision that public schools would have to share the burden facing every other agency of State government and indeed every other Idaho citizen.

The Claim: Otter wants to shut down State parks and the Department of Parks and Recreation, Idaho Public Television, the Idaho Human Rights Commission, the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the State Independent Living Council.

The Fact: I encouraged all State agencies in September 2009 to submit proposals for saving as much taxpayer money as possible. I wanted agency directors and administrators to have the flexibility to find efficiencies and savings without doing damage to their core statutory and constitutional missions. Most came through like champions, in many cases exceeding my expectations. However, Idaho Public Television said there was no savings to be had – anywhere. Facing the deadline for submitting budget proposals, I submitted plans for moving those budgets off the taxpayer-supported General Fund over four years. It was an effort to nudge those agencies toward the greater efficiency we need, or give them the chance to find alternative funding methods; the choice was theirs. Director Nancy Merrill of the Department of Parks and Recreation stepped up with a business plan for every park and a “can do” approach. The Human Rights Commission and Director Pam Parks – with the help of Roger Madsen at the Department of Labor – also found a way to address their budget needs, and those of Idaho taxpayers. The Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is getting administrative and support services help from the Department of Health and Welfare and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The other agencies all are working hard to find solutions.

It was not an artful process. That’s a fair criticism. However, I did not propose closing any parks or eliminating any agencies. I did not propose “a batch of half-baked plans to zero out small but politically popular state services.” I did not ignore “hidden costs.” My approach was not, “If it brings joy to people, government has no business doing it.” And I am not trying “to run parks or public TV on the cheap.”

I understand that columnists are in the business of selling newspapers. I also understand that responsibility and prudent financial management are not exciting or headline-grabbing topics. However, they are at the heart of what State government must do on behalf of the people we serve.

It’s unfortunate that some columnists consider facts little more than obstacles to be overcome or sidestepped, justified in their minds by the righteous end of afflicting those who they consider “comfortable.”

But Adams was right 240 years ago. He still is.

The proposed merger could affect other programs the labor department had in the works.  “The additional financial support the department is putting into the Human Rights Commission has required us to juggle our priorities, and some projects that had been on the front burner before have now been pushed back or scaled back,” Madsen said. The merger will cost the labor department $144,000 in the next budget year, and $1.5 million during the next four years. Items on the chopping block include opening more offices across the state, reduced funding for the online Idaho Career Information System, and installing new energy-efficient windows at the labor department headquarters in Boise.

“The window situation down at the main office is pretty bad,” said labor department spokesman Bob Fick.

Madsen said he will encourage the commission to use its resources wisely, but won’t offer input on its work handling discrimination disputes.  “I’m not going to tell the human rights commission my opinions on issues, even if they ask,” he said. “I’m going to make sure that they’re efficient, independent, and effective.”

“Now you’ve found a home for the Idaho Human Rights Commission, and we’re grateful,” said Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome.

The IHRC announced Monday that it supports the merger, which came about after Gov. Butch Otter announced his intent to phase out state funding for the agency during the next four years. “We’re humbled that they offered to help,” IHRC director Pam Parks said. “It’s a huge impact.”

Otter supports the merger, according to Madsen. “Hopefully the Legislature will endorse it and then he can sign a bill,” he said. The merger would likely go into effect in July. Madsen said he will meet informally with IHRC staff Tuesday morning to further discuss the merger.

“There is a lot of overlap,” said Pam Parks, the director of the IHRC. Parks said other states combine civil rights agencies such as the IHRC that work to prevent discrimination in schools, the workplace, and housing, with labor departments, which handle unemployment claims and other business and worker issues. “We think our missions are very similar,” Parks said. “Both agencies are committed to providing a workforce for people that is free of discrimination.” The IHRC handles discrimination claims, often mediating between workers and employers to reach a resolution without needing to go to court, Parks said.

In his state budget address, Gov. Butch Otter proposed a four-year phase-out of state funding to the IHRC and other state agencies. In the next budget, Otter is asking for a $200,000 decrease in general fund dollars to IHRC. The commission has also taken $54,000 in holdbacks in the current budget. The state general fund covers about two-thirds of the IHRC budget. Federal funding covers most of the rest of the budget.

“Our budget has always been very lean, so it has been a very difficult and creating process to keep up with the holdbacks,” Parks said about the holdbacks. But she said the IHRC is working on the merger with the labor department that would remove them from the state general fund. “We must play our part in this daunting effort. That’s only fair.”

Merging with the labor department could save some overhead costs, but the IHRC could also receive funding from two special funds dedicated to the labor department. One, called the “penalties and interest” fund, comes from penalties and fees on employers and workers who run afoul of the state unemployment insurance program. The other, called the “special administration fund,” comes from interest earnings off of the state’s unemployment insurance reserve fund. The labor department currently plans to use those funds for building and maintenance projects and other programs, according to John McAllister, chief deputy of the Department of Labor. McAllister said the department can shift those dedicated funds to the IHRC for a few years, if necessary.

“Through 2014 we can manage it,” McAllister said. That would cover the proposed four-year phase out of IHRC. “I can’t promise anything beyond that.” McAllister said the two funds have about $21 million in them currently, though not all of that could be drawn down for IHRC’s budget, which is less than $1 million a year. McAllister also said the Department of Labor is having to pay out more in unemployment claims, thanks to the national economic slowdown.

Lawmakers would have to approve the merger between the IHRC and the Idaho Department of Labor. Two other agencies that Otter tabbed for losing state funding, the State Independent Living Council and Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, told lawmakers Friday they are looking into other funding sources, but have not come up with a final plan.