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Legislative committee hears joint resolution to adopt long-range capital plan for legislative branch
Summary
Sen. Sue Vinton outlined a long-range legislative branch capital development plan produced after a 2023 directive; staff said the study cost about $540,000 and the work was funded from a prior appropriation tied to House Bill 856 (12.5 million). Committee closed the hearing with no vote.
The House Legislative Administration Committee on Oct. 12 heard testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 6, a proposal to concur with a long-range capital development plan that maps space needs for the legislative branch.
Sponsor Sen. Sue Vinton, R‑Yellowstone, told the committee the plan was developed after the 2023 Legislature directed the Legislative Council, in consultation with Legislative Finance and Legislative Audit committees, to develop a long-range plan. "The long range plan development was led by an independent architectural consulting firm and included six legislators, three directors of the legislature's permanent professional staff," Vinton said.
The nut graf: committee members were presented with a nonbinding plan intended to guide future capital decisions and to give future legislatures a feasibility template if funds or decisions are made to alter legislative space.
Russ Katherman, administrator of the Architecture and Engineering Division, said the appropriation that paid for the broader work came from House Bill 856. "The cost of the study itself was…about 540 k," he said, adding he would provide the exact number to the committee. Katherman also said House Bill 856 included a $12.5 million appropriation for improvements.
Angie Carter, financial manager for the legislative branch, and Randy Stephens, planning manager, were present to answer technical questions about implementation and space changes that could include moving some support staff and adding committee rooms on the first floor. Vinton stressed the resolution does not appropriate new funds and that the plan is nonbinding: "There is no appropriation in this resolution. This is simply a plan that offers nonbinding options and recommendations," she said.
Committee members asked whether the plan examined acquisition of nearby properties and whether it included cost estimates. Katherman said the study did not specifically identify property purchases but noted the legislature already uses other state buildings for some functions; he declined to give a precise purchase plan. On funding, he pointed back to the HB 856 appropriation for the study and broader improvements.
The hearing closed without a committee vote; Vinton urged committee concurrence. The committee recorded no formal action on SJR 6 during the hearing and moved on to the next agenda item.
Ending: Committee members said they had heard the presentation and the hearing was closed; no further action was taken that day on the resolution.
