The Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee gave a do‑pass recommendation to Senate Bill 83, an appropriation bill that would create the Innovation of State Government Fund and allocate $10 million to several state agencies to build capacity for climate planning, resilience and grant support.

Sponsor Senator Jeff Steinborn told the committee the fund would “enable several state agencies to create master plans and increase capacity to implement sustainable policies, provide technical assistance to organizations seeking grants to address climate resilience, and reduce barriers” to implementing climate actions. Witnesses from tribal organizations, environmental groups, energy efficiency advocates and grant consultants said agencies and local governments need staff and technical help to access federal funding (including Inflation Reduction Act, IIJA programs) and to implement state policies on mitigation and adaptation.

Supporters urged the committee to fund positions, technical assistance and grant writing support; several tribal advocates said their governments lack the in‑house capacity to navigate complex federal programs. Opposition was limited; questions focused on accountability, metrics and whether the requested funding was already included in agency budget requests. Several senators asked for measurable outcomes and asked whether the appropriation would demonstrably reduce emissions or produce jobs; the sponsor and witnesses said that the funding is meant to increase agency implementation capacity and to unlock federal funding with local technical support.

After discussion, the committee recommended the bill by a 6‑4 vote. The appropriation would be distributed to seven agencies with specified uses and reporting requirements in the bill text.