Joint finance panel sets health-insurance funding at $14,130 per FTE; fails to agree on statewide pay plan

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee voted Friday, Jan. 31, to set employer health‑insurance funding at $14,130 per eligible full‑time equivalent (FTE) position for fiscal year 2026, while several competing proposals to change statewide employee compensation failed to win the committee’s approval.

The $14,130 funding level was proposed as a compromise figure and was moved by Senator Woodward and seconded by Representative Tanner. The committee recorded a joint result of 17 ayes, 0 nays and 3 absent/excused (Senate: 8‑0 with 2 absent; House: 9‑0 with 1 absent). The motion carried with a due‑pass recommendation.

Analyst Ira Bybee told the committee staff prepared three dollar‑amount options for the health‑insurance component: a CEC committee recommendation of $13,960 per FTE, the governor’s recommendation of $14,300 per FTE and a midpoint compromise of $14,130 per FTE. Bybee provided projected reserve‑fund ending balances tied to those options: about $51.6 million under the $13,960 option and about $61.4 million under the $14,300 option; the midpoint falls between those figures.

Why it matters

The committee’s choice establishes the per‑employee funding that agencies will use to budget state…