Appropriations panel trims fleet-services funding, advances indigent defense budget with amendments

The Appropriations Committee — Government Operations Division voted on a set of budget amendments that reduced one-time fleet-services funding and advanced the budget for the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigence with changes requested by the committee.

Committee members approved an amendment that reduces the general-fund amount for state fleet services by $1,000,000 (the long-sheet amount was changed from $4,275,000 to $3,275,000 in committee explanatory material). Committee staff and highway-patrol accounting witnesses explained the amortized per-mile rate and the uncertainties behind vehicle depreciation and resale values. Aaron Hummel, Chief of Staff with the Highway Patrol, told the committee the adjusted long-sheet calculation equates to "approximately a dollar 28 per mile" under the revised budget assumptions; the patrol's biennial mileage estimate used in testimony was 9,734,400 miles and an estimated inventory of about 188 vehicles.

The amendment package the committee voted on also included a $330,000 correction to trooper cost restoration and an adjustment tied to the new-and-vacant FTE pool that yielded roughly $1,000,000 in savings on the long sheet, according to committee staff (Brady) testimony.

On the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigence (the state's public-defense commission), the committee voted to advance the agency's budget largely as proposed in the Armstrong executive budget but removed $805,000 that had been identified for targeted FTE equity pay increases; the committee concurrently approved language to declassify the commission's attorney positions from the state classified system (the transcript references a Century Code provision and a draft section number). Commission leadership told the committee that staffing turnover and a wide pay gap with county prosecutors and judiciary offices have hampered recruitment and that some of the contracted work the commission pays for is more expensive when staff vacancies require outside contractors to cover cases.

Both measures were recorded by roll call in committee. The motion to adopt the budget amendments (which included the $1,000,000 fleet reduction) was moved on the record and passed; recorded committee votes on the amendment and on the motion to give the bill a "due pass as amended" were unanimous among the members present (Senator Sickler — Aye; Senator Eberly/Erbilig — Aye; Senator Dwyer — Yes; Senator Burkhart — Aye; Senator Wanzek/Wanzek — Yes). The Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigence budget passed as amended by a similar roll call of the same members.