Betsy Russell reports after four years without funding raises for state employees, the Idaho Legislature’s joint budget committee voted Friday to give 2 percent raises next year to every permanent state worker who’s performing at standards, except for teachers, who have a chance at new merit-pay bonuses.

The decision came only after a protracted debate: Democrats on the committee pushed for 3 percent raises, and a group of GOP dissenters first pushed for just one-time bonuses, then tried to block the across-the-board raise for performing state employees and instead give state agency heads full discretion on who gets what.

“I still am very concerned about where our economy is going,” said Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls. “I don’t want to come back and have to take it back.” Mortimer backed one-time bonuses and was the only member of the 20-member committee who voted for that.