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Appropriations committee agrees to remove one Commerce FTE as compromise
Summary
After discussion of a larger request to cut three FTEs from Commerce, committee members reached a compromise to remove one FTE (a position vacant more than 24 months) and give the agency discretion over which position to cut.
Members of the Appropriations — Government Operations Division debated whether to remove three FTEs from the Department of Commerce but agreed by consensus to reduce the agency’s authorized FTE count by one.
Committee members and staff reviewed proposed adjustments to the agency’s FTE pool. Staff described two types of FTE pool entries: funding removed from the agency in the prior session that could be restored, and planned removals for the upcoming 2025–27 biennium tied to leadership direction to restrain state FTE growth. The committee discussed that one Commerce position (a workforce program manager) had been vacant for more than 24 months.
Chair Wanzek sought a compromise between leadership’s direction to find reductions and Commerce’s concern about harming workforce and marketing functions. After members debated removing three positions, Wanzek proposed removing one vacant FTE instead. Commerce representatives accepted the compromise; a department official said they could attempt to absorb responsibilities internally.
The committee’s staff indicated it would update budget worksheets to reflect the agreed reduction of one FTE. The change was discussed as a consensus decision during the hearing; no roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript.
