House Appropriations Government Operations reviews OMB budget; committee removes Prairie Public funding and discusses oil‑and‑gas amendment

The House Appropriations Government Operations Division reviewed House Bill 1015, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) appropriation, discussing vacant positions, several staffing and IT requests, and a proposed amendment changing oil‑and‑gas distributions.

Vice Chairman Brandenburg said, “We're not going to move this amendment, but we're going to talk about it,” as he introduced amendment 01003 and outlined its fiscal implications for county and township infrastructure funding.

Why it matters: The committee’s changes will affect the OMB operating budget and several interagency funding streams. Members debated how an anticipated senate change to the oil‑and‑gas distribution formula could shift tens of millions of dollars among infrastructure funds and local governments, and the panel removed a line item for Prairie Public to avoid creating a mismatch if the Senate does not concur.

The committee agreed to remove funding for Prairie Public from the OMB worksheet after members said a separate floor vote had already passed a measure on the House floor; the change was made so the OMB bill would not be returned to committee if the Senate does not approve the same language. Committee members also directed staff to add $100,000 for the governor's residence remodel to the worksheet and to note a separate appropriation for emergency commission contingency funds will be pulled…