Senate Appropriations Government Operations panel reviews House Bill 1015 budget amendments for OMB, weighs funding restorations and new pools

The Senate Appropriations Government Operations Division on Thursday reviewed House Bill 1015, the biennial budget for the Office of Management and Budget, and discussed restoring funding cut by the House, establishing a deferred maintenance fund, and provisioning personnel pools to cover retirement and vacant-position costs.

Chairman Wannsaker convened the panel and said the committee would focus solely on the OMB budget. Brady, a staff member assisting the committee, summarized the items under discussion, and urged members to consider restoring several reductions and accommodating new and vacant FTE and retirement pools.

Why it matters: the committee’s decisions will determine whether several one-time and ongoing budget adjustments reach the final appropriation, including a proposed deferred-maintenance pool, a restoration of grants, and funding set-asides intended to prevent late-biennium shortfalls in agency salary lines.

Brady said the House had restored a $213,000 grant cut for guardianship services and listed a $110,114…