Permanent Building Fund: committee hears requests for projects, deferred maintenance and reporting on multi‑year capital portfolio

Legislative analysts and Division of Public Works officials briefed the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on the Permanent Building Fund portfolio and the division's fiscal 2026 capital and maintenance recommendations.

The Permanent Building Fund finances capital projects and facility maintenance across state agencies and higher education. Legislative Services analyst Frances Lippitt told members the fund receives several dedicated revenue streams (a $10 fee per income tax filing, $5 million from sales tax, $5 million from cigarette tax, one‑third of beer tax proceeds, three‑eighths of lottery earnings, interest and other sources) and that the state has invested roughly $1.1 billion of general‑fund money in recent years to accelerate deferred maintenance and capital work. Lippitt noted the total value of active public works projects is about $1.9 billion, roughly $1.4 billion of which are capital projects; about 42% of funding for those capital projects has been committed.

Major project requests and recommendations: Administrator Dale Reynolds and deputy Kelly Berard described specific FY26…