Committee reviews Attorney General budget; proposes $2 million gaming‑fund buffer for litigation

The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division on an informational review discussed the Attorney General's budget under House Bill 1003, including staffing adjustments and an amendment that would reserve $2,000,000 of excess gaming revenue for litigation.

Committee chair opened the meeting saying, "Committee, we're gonna take up, attorney general budget, house bill 10 0 3. You've all been given the up to date, long sheet." The chair summarized staff and line changes and the overall fiscal position: "we're about 608,000 in the general fund in the red, so we've cut 608,000 in general fund in this budget."

Why it matters: the committee is setting the House budget recommendation that will proceed through the legislative process. Staff and members reviewed staffing authority adjustments and a targeted amendment to give the Attorney General a limited, preauthorized source for litigation expenses if gaming receipts exceed projections.

Committee discussion focused on staffing-authority line edits and a single-time amendment for litigation. Committee counsel Levi and staff prepared a revised long sheet. The chair described line edits on staffing authority, noting the budget removes a cybersecurity administrator position and adds a victim-witness position, an executive staff position and a tobacco compliance officer. The chair said Levi prepared the "statement of purpose" the committee will use when the bill is returned for final action.

Representative Lauser asked how the $2,000,000 would be handled. The chair replied: "The 2,000,000 is ads from gaming funds... the amendment says 2,000,000 above that... so the first 2,000,000 above that goes to the AG for litigation, and then after that, it all goes back in again." He said the AG's office projects roughly $45,000,000 in gaming revenue and that the amendment would trigger only if receipts exceed that projection.

Members noted the office already holds litigation resources and that the amendment is intended to reduce the need for emergency transfers: "I do think the 8,000,000 will be will could be used pretty quickly with all the stuff that's going on. So, and I would also help them too so they don't have to go to the emergency commission and go through all the rigmarole with that. At least they have the money and they can keep acting on it," the chair said.

No formal motions or roll-call votes were taken during this review. Committee staff will finalize the statement of purpose and return the bill for committee action; the chair said the committee expects to bring this back for a final vote once the statement and any remaining edits are complete.

Ending: Committee members agreed to reconvene and to consider the Attorney General budget together with other pending agency budgets; staff will circulate the final statement of purpose and the revised long sheet prior to the next meeting.