House Finance Subcommittee adopts FY26 operating budget for Office of the Governor

Representative Neil Foster, chair of the House Finance Subcommittee for the Office of the Governor, called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, 2025, and the subcommittee adopted its BA (budget action) report to finalize the FY26 operating budget for the Office of the Governor.

The subcommittee adopted the BA report, which recommends $31,407,100 in unrestricted general funds, $432,600 in other funds, and $151,900 in federal funds for a total of $31,991,600 for the office. Committee staff said the small increase in unrestricted general funds reflects a transfer from another department rather than newly appropriated money.

Bridal Anderson, staff to Representative Neil Foster, walked members through the closeout BA documents. "For the record, Bridal Anderson, staff to representative Neil Foster. Today I will be walking the committee members through the closeout documents known as the B. A. Report," Anderson said. He directed members to the first table in the binder showing adjusted base and subcommittee actions and summarized the fund-source changes and the subcommittee's recommendations.

Anderson told the subcommittee the net change from the adjusted base is an increase of $175,800 in all funds (about 0.6 percent). He identified a $183,200 increase in unrestricted general funds that is actually a transfer in from another department and a $14,400 decrease in other funds. He also reported that the office's personnel table lists 147 permanent full-time positions, one permanent part-time position and 24 temporary positions; the report also lists a total employee count of "72 employees," a figure that does not equal the sum of the position counts in the table and appears inconsistent.

Representative Bryce Edgmon moved to adopt the FY26 operating budget for the Office of the Governor as reflected in the subcommittee's BA report. Chair Foster objected for the purpose of discussion, then removed his objection after staff explanation; the subcommittee recorded no further objections and the BA report was adopted. Edgmon then moved to forward the FY26 operating budget for the Office of the Governor from subcommittee with the subcommittee narrative and legislative finance reports forthcoming, and to authorize the Legislative Finance Division to make necessary technical and conforming changes. The motion was adopted with no objections recorded.

The subcommittee recorded no member-submitted amendments and no roll-call votes were taken; the record shows adoption by unanimous voice/consensus with no objections noted. The chair said there were "no real increases" in the governor's proposed budget beyond transfers between departments and closed out the subcommittee at 4:09 p.m. The meeting record indicates the legislature's closeout proceedings followed the adjournment.

The BA closeout documents and the forthcoming legislative finance narrative will be the official record of the subcommittee's action and will show final line-item detail and any technical adjustments made by Legislative Finance.