Senate panel adjusts Adjutant General budget to reauthorize one coordinator for next-generation leadership program and add flood mitigation grants

The Senate Government Operations Division amended House Bill 1016, the Adjutant General’s budget, to reauthorize one full-time position intended to coordinate a next-generation leadership and recruitment effort between the National Guard and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, and to add $200,000 in one-time disaster-relief funding for local flood-mitigation grants.

Committee members and Adjutant General staff said the long-standing budget is nearly flat from recent biennia. The amendment narrows an earlier authorization to remove three federally authorized National Guard security positions (vacant and federally funded) and instead leave two of those authorizations in place while restoring one authorization to be used by the Guard as a state-funded coordinator for a generation-leadership program. The Guard said it plans to fund the coordinator position without additional general-fund appropriation by repurposing existing tuition authority and internal adjustments; committee members described the move as effectively net-zero to the general fund.

CTE coordination and timeline

Wade Sick, state director for the Department of Career and Technical Education, said CTE and the Guard have been discussing curricular and pathway work and that the Center for Distance Education already offers foundational courses. He described the coordinator role as an important liaison to translate Guard workforce needs into a sequence of courses and local partnerships. Committee members indicated a goal of having program groundwork in place for the 2026–27 school year.

Other changes

- One-time $200,000 from the State Disaster Relief Fund (identified in the long sheet) for flood mitigation grants at Moon/Loon Lake (listed in the long sheet as the local project). - No other substantive changes to sections of the bill were reported; staff said a formal amendment package was drafted and would be posted in committee files.

Votes and procedure

Senator Burkhart moved the amendment; Senator Burley seconded. The committee adopted the amendment and will finalize formal amendment text prior to returning the bill for floor action.

Context and next steps

Adjutant General leadership told the committee the agency is working within constrained budget growth and that federal workforce-authority reviews are ongoing; the agency said it expects some federal civilian positions to face scrutiny in the coming months. Committee staff will finalize amendment language and post the updated long sheet and SPA to the committee record.

Ending

With the changes adopted, committee staff said they will circulate the final amendment before taking the bill up for final committee action.