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House Ways and Means committee adopts rules, revenue base and multiple proviso packages; several provisos pulled for later review
Summary
The House Ways and Means Committee adopted committee rules, set the revenue base used for drafting the budget and approved multiple proviso packets by voice votes. A handful of provisos were pulled for later floor or subcommittee consideration and money-related provisos will be carried over to tomorrow.
The House Ways and Means Committee adopted committee rules, approved a revenue base resolution and accepted multiple subcommittee proviso packages during a morning meeting that set the committee’s next steps in the budget process.
The committee adopted its rules as presented at the Dec. 4 meeting, including an added decorum provision the speaker requested. The adoption was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote.
The committee then adopted the revenue base package (referred to as Serial 1 in the packet). The budget staff projection presented during the meeting put recurring general fund revenue at approximately $14.1 billion, including about $666 million in new recurring revenue. Nonrecurring resources for the 2024–25 fiscal year were listed at roughly $1.25 billion total, including $369 million for the capital reserve fund, $332 million for the contingency reserve fund and $552 million in undesignated, unreserved funds.
Subcommittee proviso packages for public education, higher education, health care, economic development, criminal justice, transportation and the constitutional subcommittee were adopted largely by voice vote. Several subcommittees reported no provisos to pull; others pulled individual provisos to be addressed later in the process. Representative Whitmire moved adoption of the public education packet but asked to pull proviso 1A.69. Representative Ballantyne moved the higher education packet (no provisos pulled). Representative Hewitt moved the health care packet (no provisos pulled). Representative Stevonakis moved adoption of the economic development packet but pulled item 55 B P F. Representative Lowe moved the criminal justice packet. Representative Crawford moved the transportation packet (no provisos pulled). Representative Murphy reported one pull from the constitutional subcommittee (proviso 117.Afd). Committee members said provisos that conform to funding will be carried over to the next day, and money-related provisos will be resolved tomorrow.
Committee members also reminded members that floor debate on the overall House budget is expected to begin in March and may start near noon on the first day of floor debate; members were asked to plan for a full day in Columbia depending on the volume of amendments. The meeting adjourned to the call of the chair until the committee reconvened to address pulled provisos after lunch and continue money proviso work the following day.
