Freshman legislators in Idaho are advised by their senior colleagues to do three things in their first term in the Statehouse: Listen, learn, and keep their mouths shut.

The advice normally is well taken, because there’s a lot to learn about the process, the politics and the workings of state government. But for Sens. Carl Crabtree of Grangeville and Jeff Agenbroad of Nampa, forget the training wheels. They have been placed on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, which is the most grueling and time-consuming assignment in the Legislature. It’s also the most powerful since that’s essentially the place where budgets live or die.

The funny thing is, Crabtree and Agenbroad wanted to serve on JFAC.

“I was told there were two committees I should not take in my first year — JFAC and Education,” Crabtree said, chuckling. “I don’t know which one is the frying pan and which one is the fire, but I’m on both. But that’s OK; I’m not going there to vacation.”

Agenbroad doesn’t have it any easier. His committee assignments include the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. One of the big issues there is figuring out a solution to providing health insurance to the working poor, which is sure to be one of the leading issues of the next session.

But the heavy lifting will be on JFAC. Crabtree and Agenbroad say they have a lot to learn about state budgets, but think they are well-suited for the task.

Agenbroad, a vice president at Zions Bank, knows all about crunching numbers; he’s been doing that as a banker for more than 30 years. “Government accounting can be a little different. What I’ll need to do is develop a better understanding of the agencies and what’s behind the numbers.”

Crabtree is a former president of the Idaho Cattle Association and Idaho Beef Council and served on the National Cattleman’s Beef Association Board. His experiences give him some insight into what to expect from government agencies.

“I don’t have preconceived notions … my eyes and ears are wide open,” he said. “My measure will be with evaluation. Some people may be good at planning and implementing but are unable to evaluate effectiveness in a measurable way. If you can’t measure it, then you can’t manage it, and government isn’t good at measuring.”

Crabtree and Agenbroad plan to do plenty of listening and learning in their first year. But they’ll be asking a lot of questions, and seem to have a grasp of what questions to ask.

Although they are the only two freshmen on the budget committee, they are not the only newcomers. Sen. Shawn Keough of Sandpoint and Rep. Maxine Bell of Jerome will be greeting eight other new members who will be giving fresh eyes to the budget and geographic balance to the committee.

The Idaho Panhandle has two new seats on the budget committee in addition to Crabtree, whose district includes Shoshone County. Sen. Mary Souza of Coeur d’Alene and Rep. Sage Dixon of Ponderay are Republicans serving in their second terms.

Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise, takes over as vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Two Boise Democrats, Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking and Rep. Melissa Wintrow, are two other newcomers from the Treasure Valley.

Other new members are Sens. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, and Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, and Rep. Neil Anderson, R-Blackfoot.

Ten new members provide a significant overhaul and some challenges on the budget committee. But as Keough sees it, there’s no shortage of intelligence and desire to get the job done.

“I’m excited about the new legislators on the committee. All around, the committee is well balanced geographically,” she said. “By nature, I think all the legislators will be fiscally conservative.” Keough welcomes the challenges, along with the new sets of eyes on the budget process. “They take their responsibility seriously as stewards of taxpayer dollars, and they will do a good job on the budgets.”

Department heads should take note: This isn’t your grandfather’s budget committee, so don’t get too comfortable in the budget presentations. And even though there is a revenue surplus, don’t expect an automatic rubber stamp to requested budget increases.

JFAC appears to be pretty solid, with both the new and old faces.

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Chuck Malloy, a longtime Idaho journalist and Silver Valley native, is a columnist with Idaho Politics Weekly and an editorial writer with the Idaho Press-Tribune.