House Appropriations Committee adopts amendment to FY25-26 general appropriations, forwards bill to House floor

The House Appropriations Committee on July 14 adopted Amendment A01561 to House Bill 1330, the general appropriations measure for fiscal year 2526, and voted to refer the bill as amended to the full House.

Committee members said the amendment reduces proposed spending from about $51,500,000,000 to about $50,600,000,000. A staff presenter summarized the amendment at the committee meeting: "This is providing for the general appropriations for fiscal year 2526." The committee then conducted a roll-call vote and the chair announced, "The ayes have it. And amendment A01561 is adopted before this committee now."

Why it matters: The vote advances the central budget bill for the commonwealth after weeks of negotiations. Committee members said the timing of final approval matters to school districts and nonprofit service providers that depend on state appropriations.

Debate and positions A committee member speaking for House Republicans said the amendment represents a reduction from the governor's request and that Republicans would vote against it while continuing negotiations. "We will be voting no here this afternoon," the member said, adding that the caucus wants priorities including energy development, regulatory reform and "student-centered education" reflected in the final budget.

Another committee member urged immediate action to avoid further delay. Speaking during debate, the member said: "It's July 14. We can't keep kicking this can down the road." He said the scheduled budget deadline was June 30 and warned that ongoing delay forces school boards and nonprofits to make costly interim financial arrangements. "There are school board directors who are worried about what the budget of their school districts will look like," he said, adding that nonprofits may need to "take out lines of credit to continue to operate that they will not be reimbursed for the interest that they're paying."

Procedural action After debate, the committee completed a roll call in which a majority voted to adopt the amendment and, later in the session, to pass House Bill 1330 as amended to the House floor. The chair announced both outcomes: "The ayes have it," and that "House Bill 1330 will pass this committee, be referred to the floor as amended." The transcript identifies multiple individual members responding to roll-call prompts with "yes," "no," or "designation," and the chair used those responses to determine the outcome.

What the committee did not decide Committee members did not finalize a negotiated, conference-level budget or a governor-signed appropriations bill at this meeting. Several members acknowledged the amendment is a compromise and said further negotiations among the House, Senate and governor remain necessary before a final budget becomes law. One member said they "have not had a thorough opportunity to really digest what's in this amendment" after receiving it shortly before the meeting.

Next steps Because the committee moved the bill to the floor, the full House will consider House Bill 1330 as amended. If approved by the House, the bill would still require Senate action and the governor's signature to become law.

Meeting context Committee business included an extended recess and two formal roll-call proceedings on the amendment and on the bill as amended. The committee chair set a floor-extension time during the meeting and then closed the session after the second roll call.