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Appropriations committee reviews Secretary of State budget, restores election-reform and IT funding
Summary
The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division reviewed House Bill 1002, restoring funds for election reform, IT and operating expenses tied to several FTE changes; the committee did not vote on the bill.
The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division reviewed House Bill 1002 on the Secretary of State’s budget Tuesday, restoring previously removed funds for election reform, several operating expenses and information-technology work while deferring a final committee vote.
Committee members and staff said footnote revisions restore $200,000 that had been removed with the elimination of 1 FTE and about $581,000 tied to three FTEs that had been shifted from federal and special funds into the general fund. Staff described those restorations as funding for operating expenses and election-reform activity rather than pay or health-insurance increases for the positions.
The committee also discussed a one-time general-fund match of $200,000 for a $1 million HAVA (Help America Vote Act) federal grant and an additional $100,000 federal election-security grant. Staff said roughly $2.8 million in capital-item funding from the CIF is intended for poll pads and cradle points used for voter check-in; committee members asked whether the models discussed were the same devices that have experienced failures in other jurisdictions.
Members flagged a $700,000 SIF allocation for IT enhancements to a central indexing system that staff said remained unchanged from previous drafts. The committee reviewed an amendment that shifts $271,000 out of the Secretary of State’s budget and into Legislative Council to move public-printing duties; staff said that change required a policy decision and earlier committee action had approved the language.
Throughout the discussion staff and members noted savings attributed to the vacant-FTE pool the committee applied across other budgets. After a review of the footnotes and long-sheet numbers, the chair told members that the committee would not take a final vote on HB1002 at that session and asked staff and members to meet informally to clarify remaining questions.
"We're not gonna vote this out, but I just wanna make sure this budget is pretty well set," the chair said as the committee paused its action on the bill.
The committee scheduled further informal reviews: members were urged to meet with Legislative Council and with staff to confirm the long-sheet details and policy implications before returning to the bill.
