Votes at a glance: Joint Budget Committee adopts subcommittee reports, multiple bills; corrections appropriation split and later defeated

The Joint Budget Committee on Feb. 26 adopted multiple subcommittee reports, approved a state contract review and advanced several bills and house items with little debate. The committee separated the Department of Corrections request from the governor’s capital letter and then took a separate vote on that item, which failed.

Actions the committee adopted included the claims subcommittee report, the Employee Benefits Division oversight report, and the peer review subcommittee report. The peer review subcommittee also moved review of a Division of Environmental Quality contract: a $539,966 in‑state contract to CTEH for air monitoring in Towneetown. The committee approved that review and adoption of the peer review report.

Representative Cavanaugh offered an amendment shifting livestock show funding — reducing a line for one named show (AYE) to $5,400 and reallocating about $42,000 to other county fairs; the amendment was adopted.

The committee proceeded through a series of bills and house items with…