Ways and Means adopts package of non‑funding proviso amendments; dollar changes deferred

The House Ways and Means committee adopted a set of non‑funding proviso amendments Tuesday and agreed to take up dollar amendments after the committee completes spreadsheet work tomorrow.

The package included provisions on fraud mitigation for benefit checks, limits on mandatory student health insurance, a cut to vacant full‑time equivalent (FTE) positions, adjustments to university fee‑waiver limits, and several program‑specific clarifications affecting broadband, water systems and interscholastic athletics.

Why it matters: The provisos set policy boundaries and reporting requirements that guide agency implementation and oversight. The committee’s approvals change how agencies must document practices (fraud mitigation), alter institutional discretion (fee waivers), and require agencies to report staffing reductions by a specified date.

Key approvals and summaries

• Fraud mitigation proviso (author/explainer: Chair Bannister): The proviso requires state agencies that issue benefit checks to develop and report measures to detect and stop fraud. The language excludes payments for services rendered or procurement disbursements and asks agencies to describe verification, issuance/distribution security and monitoring procedures. Chair Bannister asked members to adopt the proviso; the committee approved it by voice vote. Ms. Scott Minor told the committee she did not believe the measure would require agencies to hire additional staff.

• Student health insurance (Representative Ballantine): Prohibits institutions from automatically enrolling and charging students for campus health insurance; institutions must provide an opt‑in mechanism. Ballantine said the change responds to students and families who had been automatically charged when they overlooked the insurance line on…