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Committee examines Senate's cash-fund shifts and one-time appropriations, including $6 million treasurer reversion and PCB remediation increase
Summary
JFO staff outlined how the Senate redirected cash funds and one-time balances: $6 million from a treasurer bond redemption reversion, a $3 million increase in projected cannabis fund transfers, a $1.3 million substance-use prevention fund increase and a $4 million boost for PCB remediation from the Environmental Contingency Fund.
The House Appropriations Committee spent substantial time Wednesday reviewing revenue-side changes in the Senate's FY2026 budget, including reversions and cash-fund transfers that raise the pool of one-time resources available for appropriations.
Emily Byrne of the Joint Fiscal Office said the Senate's numbers include a $6,000,000 reversion from the treasurer's bond redemption appropriation; $1,000,000 of that $6 million is proposed for S27 (medical debt relief) and the remaining $5,000,000 would increase the bottom-line one-time carryforward. Byrne also said the Senate increased the projected available cannabis fund transfer by $3,000,000 and added roughly $1,300,000 to a newly created substance-use prevention fund financed with cannabis receipts.
On environmental remediation, Byrne said the Senate increased the transfer to the Environmental Contingency Fund by $4,000,000 to match the governor's recommended level for PCB testing and remediation. Committee members asked whether a change to the transfer implies a parallel change to the appropriation; Byrne confirmed the transfer and appropriation are tied in the budget construct.
The committee reviewed several cash-fund capital items that differ from the House's position. Byrne noted the Senate proposed using cash funds for several projects that the House had reduced or shifted, including a set of three town redevelopment infrastructure projects (referred to in committee materials as the '23s' or the '3b' package). Members raised philosophical concerns about using capital cash funds for private or non-state projects.
Why it matters: changes to reversions and cash-fund transfers affect the universe of one-time dollars available for FY2026 appropriations and can alter which programs receive funding or how projects are financed (general fund vs. cash fund vs. special funds). Committee members requested follow-up detail on cash-fund balances and on how specific projects were scored for capital versus non-capital treatment.
The committee did not take formal votes on these transfers during the session summarized here and asked JFO and institutional staff to supply further spreadsheets and clarifying notes before conference negotiations.
