Children and Families committee reviews DE1 to House File 2436; no final action taken

The Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee on April 6 reviewed the DE1 amendment to House File 2436, the omnibus children and families budget bill, receiving a detailed fiscal walkthrough and policy summary from nonpartisan staff and comments from Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tiki Brown. Committee members took clarifying questions but did not take formal action; a final markup is scheduled for the next day.

Nonpartisan House fiscal analyst Ben Berg led the committee through the DE1 fiscal spreadsheet, telling members the current version (dated 04/06/2025) balances to the target set by the House Ways and Means Committee. Berg highlighted net changes across the biennium and pointed to department- and account-level line items, including a net expenditure of $25,000,000 in 2026–27 and an offsetting negative in the tails, which he said “balances to the target this committee was given by the ways and means committee.”

The committee’s House research staff summarized the bill’s articles and policy provisions. Staff identified funding and policy items affecting the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), including:

- Child welfare IT modernization…