JFAC reviews Division of Public Health Services budget requests, seeks follow-up on data modernization and program restorations

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Wednesday reviewed the Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Public Health Services FY2026 budget request, hearing agency testimony about a mix of one-time enhancements, program restorations and requests to restore baseline funding cut to accommodate prior federal grants.

The presentation was led by Keith Bybee, division manager of budget policy analysis, and Alex Adams, director of the Department of Health and Welfare, who described a structural shift in the division’s recent budget history and outlined the department’s requests. "I would characterize it as a healthy exercise," Adams told the committee, describing the agency's work to reassess whether programs should remain ongoing or be converted to one-time funding. Bybee told members the division’s FY2025 appropriation was about $164,020,000 and that a portion of earlier spending reflected CARES Act and ARPA awards that later wound down.

Committee members pressed department staff for more detail on both one-time and ongoing items. Senators and representatives asked specifically for a written update on past data modernization work before approving additional funds. "We’ve got about 62 different systems, siloed systems," Adams said, agreeing to provide a summary of prior modernization spending and deliverables after the hearing.

Why it matters: the Division of Public Health Services funds immunizations, communicable disease surveillance, laboratory services, vital records,…