Committee reviews legislative-branch budget proposal including 25 new FTEs and $8.45 million chamber upgrades

The Appropriations - Government Operations Division discussed Senate Bill 2001, the legislative-branch budget, with staff outlining both ongoing and one-time requests including salary adjustments, additional staff, and capital projects.

Legislative staff described a salary package of 3% in each year of the biennium for legislators and some staff (the committee referred to this as a "3 and 3" adjustment), increases to leader compensation and session daily rates, and modest increases to lodging reimbursement and mileage (from 60¢ to 67¢ per mile). Committee staff said the base budget remains the same and the listed line items are increases above base. A one-time capital request of $8,450,000 would fund chamber accessibility improvements, lighting replacement and audio/video upgrades; staff said a substantial portion of that would address accessibility deficiencies in the Senate chamber identified in an architect's study.

Legislative Council Director John Bjornson told the committee that the accessibility work responds to difficulties meeting ADA standards in the Senate chamber, and that options in the study ranged from ramp modifications to leveling the chamber floor and installing rostrum lifts. "Problem with the senate is ramps are too steep to meet ADA standards," Bjornson said, adding some options were costly.

The Legislative Council also proposed an initial phase to add 25 full-time equivalent positions to support program evaluation, policy analysis, IT and administrative functions. Bjornson said the 25 FTEs were the first phase of a five-year plan that could add another 25 in a later biennium; staff described the purpose as building institutional knowledge and capacity after term limits and to provide program-evaluation work the state currently lacks. Committee staff described the approximate biennial cost for the 25 positions as about $5,000,000 (funding for staff to be phased in as positions are filled; transcript noted hiring would be gradual).

Committee members asked whether the accessibility work was mandated; Bjornson said no legal mandate was imminent but that legislators on procedural committees requested the review and improvements. Members discussed options for trimming the one-time capital request if they chose not to fund the full accessibility package but did not take a funding vote in the hearing. Staff said capital items such as lighting and AV could be separated from the accessibility portion if the committee desired.

Committee staff emphasized that these budgets are reviewed within the overall budget process, and that any appropriations would be handled in the budget development cycle and by OMB processes where applicable. No final committee vote on Senate Bill 2001 was taken in the hearing; the chair adjourned the meeting after asking members to review materials and consider whether to fully fund the renovation requests.