Conference committee on FY26 budget reserves $13.5M for tax credits, advances nursing incentives and position changes

Members of the legislature's conference committee on the FY26 budget met to reconcile House and Senate budget priorities and agreed to reserve $13.5 million to cover proposed tax credits while advancing language and funding for several workforce and program priorities.

The agreement preserves the House figure of $13.5 million for tax credits (about $3.5 million more than the Senate position) so the Senate Finance Committee can decide final eligibility and amounts. Committee members also agreed to reserve $1.5 million to cover expenses that could arise if the legislature remains in session for additional weeks (estimated at $300,000 per week for five weeks as a planning figure).

Committee members directed staff to include language and funding for nursing incentives, noting a $500,000 allocation in the draft language for “nursing incentives” and asking for additional data points to appear in the report language. The group also discussed a proposal to reclassify two positions to exempt status with an…