Senate subcommittee reviews $857M general‑fund increase proposal; Medicaid growth, behavioral health and DD waiver costs lead

Subcommittee staff briefed members on the governor’s introduced amendments to the Health and Human Resources portion of the biennial budget, highlighting a large Medicaid forecast adjustment, behavioral health investments and multiple member‑sponsored amendments.

Staff said the introduced budget adds roughly $857 million in general‑fund and $2.3 billion in nongeneral fund spending over the biennium, with the largest single increase driven by Medicaid growth (about $632 million in the forecast). The Children’s Services Act forecast was the next largest item cited, at roughly $105 million.

Behavioral health and developmental disability funding accounted for several significant line items. Staff described a $35.2 million proposal to fund special conservators of the peace in some private hospitals; the role would be to relieve law enforcement of custody responsibilities for individuals awaiting emergency custody…