Conference committee debates giving Commerce power to carve grant ‘slices’ for regional councils

A conference committee considering House Bill 1524 heard lawmakers weigh a plan to give eight regional councils more stable funding by authorizing the Department of Commerce to allocate a portion of certain state grant programs to the councils.

The committee discussed whether the bill’s language — which currently says the department “may” award grants or set aside funds — should be changed to require a specific carve-out for the councils. Supporters said the councils help small towns by writing and implementing grants; skeptics said the current bill does not guarantee funding and that state budget constraints limit new spending.

The committee’s discussion centered on three questions: whether Commerce should have explicit statutory authority to set aside portions of grant programs; how large any carve-outs should be; and whether state funding would be used to create local, full‑time positions to support the…