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Appropriators urge caution on adding to budget base; propose closing Sections C and F
Summary
Members of the Appropriations conference committee said they prefer to limit new base spending amid uncertainty over federal cuts and proposed closing Sections C and F (Budget Adjustment 2) while preserving some closeout money for emerging needs.
Appropriations conference committee members said at a recent meeting they want to avoid adding new programs or permanent base spending until federal funding changes are clearer, and proposed closing Sections C and F of the budget (Budget Adjustment 2).
Committee members said uncertainty about federal cuts and a weaker near-term revenue picture make it risky to expand the budget base. Speaker 2, a committee member, said the committee should "minimize additions to the base where we can" because new base items tend to grow and are hard to reduce later. The same participant said FY 2027 “is gonna be a really hard year” given changing revenue trends.
The committee proposed accepting the clean versions of Sections C and F — items that had passed both chambers in earlier budget adjustment work — with only technical changes (for example, date updates and removal of items no longer included). The committee also flagged specific base corrections: a technical restoration of $2,160,000 to a judiciary technology fund revenue replacement that had been removed in error, and routine acceptance of agreed position switches that were revenue-neutral.
Members emphasized preserving some closeout funds rather than allocating every new request immediately. "Doing it on a first-come, piecemeal basis isn't the way I would prefer to do it," Speaker 2 said, explaining why the committee favored holding some funds for later decisions.
The discussion produced a recommendation to close out Sections C and F and to carry forward the committee’s preferred technical fixes; the transcript does not record a formal roll-call vote on that recommendation. Committee staff said they will return with updated language and spreadsheets for formal adoption at a later meeting.
The committee scheduled follow-up meetings and directed staff to circulate the revised materials so members can review proposed technical corrections and the closeout language before final action.
