Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Agency Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Appropriations committee trims Board of Cosmetology spending after warnings of fee fund deficits
Summary
Members of the Appropriations General Government subcommittee expressed concern the Board of Cosmetology’s fee fund will run negative within two fiscal years and deleted proposed enhancements to limit expenditures to the 2024-approved level pending further corrective action by the board.
The House Appropriations General Government subcommittee and the full committee reviewed the Board of Cosmetology’s budget and concluded the board faces an impending fee-fund shortfall unless it adjusts staffing or revenues. Chairperson Walsinger said the board’s proposed revisions would lead to operating deficits and the committee deleted a number of requested enhancements and set stricter expenditure limits.
Committee members cited the board’s own projections: as presented, the cosmetology fee fund would be $228,906 in deficit in FY2026 and $621,699 in deficit in FY2027 if requested enhancements and staffing levels remain. Walsinger told members that the board has asked for audits and the committee pressed agency leadership to explain plans for closing the gap. “This is a call for help and they need to take care of it,” Walsinger said during the hearing.
The committee removed roughly $118,877 in requested spending from the board’s FY2026 and FY2027 plans and deleted proposed full-time positions the agency had sought. Members said they wanted the board to reassess staffing, lease expenses and licensing fees before accepting additional agency requests. Representative Sutton asked whether rent increases and an unexpected new lease had driven some of the supplemental requests; Walsinger said the board had been surprised by higher lease costs.
The committee approved the resulting budget recommendation with the reductions.
Ending: The committee asked the Board of Cosmetology to return with a revised plan to address deficits, including staffing, lease and fee revisions, and signaled closer oversight in the next budget cycle.
