Ways and Means subcommittee advances legislative branch budget after debate over member staffing

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means subcommittee voted to move House Bill 50 16, the legislative branch budget for the 2025–27 biennium, to the full Ways and Means Committee with a due-pass recommendation on June 16, 2025.

The Legislative Fiscal Office recommended a 2025–27 total funds budget for the legislative branch and proposed adjustments, including a $263,705,733 general fund recommendation reflected in the dash-6 amendment. The package the subcommittee advanced includes funding to reopen the Capitol for the 2026 session, new positions across legislative agencies, and one-time funding for a third-party evaluation of member-office staffing.

Why it matters: the bill sets pay and staffing levels for the legislative branch and includes proposals to shift some position costs to general fund reversions and to create or convert positions to address workloads in Legislative Administration, Legislative Fiscal, Legislative Policy and Research, and other offices. Members debated whether to provide permanent status and full-time coverage for a second staff position for member offices during the interim. The outcome affects lawmakers’ ability to get policy, budget and oversight work done outside session.

Most important facts: LFO staff described a net zero impact to the branch budget overall because some divisions’ reductions and use of reversions offset new investments. Provisions highlighted in the work session report included security upgrades for the Capitol, IT positions to replace the OLIS system, language access staff and a $150,000 one-time contract for a third party to evaluate member-office staffing models with a final report expected January 2026.

Debate and amendments: Representative Tran (sponsor of an amendment discussed as the “dash-1”) sought an amendment to fund a full-time LA2 staffer for members year-round. Co-chairs and members from the General Government subcommittee said they preferred a data-driven interim review before making that staffing change permanent. A roll-call occurred on the dash-1 amendment; the amendment failed on a recorded vote and the subcommittee proceeded with the dash-6 budget package. Several members signaled support for a study and a staged approach while others argued for immediate staff retention to avoid layoffs.

Formal actions: the subcommittee moved the LFO recommendation and then adopted the dash-6 amendment. The final motion to move HB 50 16 as amended to the full committee carried over objections noted in the record; Senator MacLean opposed the final due-pass motion on the floor (recorded opposition during the final motion). The committee also moved key performance measure updates for the Legislative Equity Office.

Implementation notes and next steps: the package includes one-time and ongoing positions and directs LPRO to produce the staffing-model report in January 2026. Legislative branch offices will rely partly on general fund reversions to cover some ongoing costs, and security, IT, visitor services and language access positions were among those specifically funded. The bill will next go to the full Ways and Means Committee.

Ending: Lawmakers left the door open to additional adjustments during the interim and emphasized the report and data-gathering as the path for resolving persistent disagreements about how many and which member-office staff should be funded permanently.