Appropriations panel grills Highway Patrol budget after Senate trims fleet funding

Members of the Appropriations - Government Operations Division pressed Highway Patrol officials on February (date not specified) about a $1 million Senate reduction to fleet services that staff said will lower the patrol's projected allowance for vehicle costs and leave unresolved choices for the committee to address.

The discussion centered on one-time and ongoing fleet funding, inflationary equipment requests and two technology items: a $500,000 federal grant for in-car routers that the patrol asked permission to carry over into the 2025'27 biennium, and $210,000 in ongoing costs to support the router network. Aaron Hummel, chief of staff for the Highway Patrol, told the committee the patrol is seeking $370,000 in ongoing inflationary funding for equipment, uniforms and ammunition.

Why it matters: fleet and permit fees fund routine Highway Patrol operations such as fuel, vehicle repairs and equipment. A shortfall or a larger-than-expected fuel/repair spike can force agencies to seek deficiency appropriations later in the biennium or rely on one-time funds that legislators say they prefer to limit.

Hummel said the patrol's inflation request is smaller than the prior biennium's package. "The inflationary increases that we're asking for, this biennium are specifically for equipment," he said,…