Legislative budget committee restores $3.5M reappropriation, funds pay plan and IT projects and trims $500K in contracts

The Committee on Legislative Budget voted to restore $3.5 million of a previously lapsed reappropriation to the legislature’s operating budget, approve funding that completes implementation of the legislative pay plan and inserts ARPA-funded costs for the Caelus modernization project into the base budget, and adopt a $500,000 reduction to contractual services in the legislature’s FY2026 request.

Committee staff member Dylan summarized the package at the start of the meeting, saying, "It's an all funds increase of about 15% above the approved," and explaining that the increase was driven largely by budgeting previously appropriated ARPA funds for the Caelus modernization project. He told the committee those ARPA dollars "had already been appropriated for that purpose. They simply had not yet been inserted into the budget." The committee later voted to send the amended legislative budget to the Appropriations Committee.

Why it matters: the votes affect the legislature’s operating cushion for session-related costs, full-year implementation of a pay plan passed earlier, and several one-time and ongoing IT modernization projects that staff said will change how the legislature manages documents, bill tracking and constituent records.

Key budget items and committee actions

- Reappropriation and operating cushion: Dylan told the committee the legislature historically carries a sizable reappropriation to cover session-day variability and session operational costs. The staff presentation listed a reappropriation amount of $6.9 million; after discussion the committee voted to restore $3.5 million of that amount into the legislature’s FY2026 budget to provide a cushion for session-related operating costs. The motion to restore $3.5 million was made from the floor and seconded; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.

- ARPA funds and Caelus modernization: The presentation and questions…