JFAC corrects FY2025 appropriations: moves $291.7 million to Broadband Office, fixes DEQ and Health & Welfare accounting

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Jan. 17 approved technical corrections to the fiscal 2025 appropriations that move $291,737,000 in reappropriated broadband funding into the state Broadband Office, correct a $2,000,000 transfer error for the Department of Environmental Quality and reclassify two Health and Welfare expenditures to the proper operating categories.

The committee’s actions aim to align carryover and fund-tracking with agency reorganizations and accounting rules. Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, told the committee the broadband move is a transparency fix after last year’s decision to add the broadband office to the Department of Commerce.

"This action would remove the monies that were reappropriated to the commerce program and then add them back into the broadband office so they can be tracked for transparency moving forward," Jessup said.

Most of the package consisted of separate, narrowly worded motions. Representative Handy moved the pair of broadband corrections — one motion to reduce the Department of Commerce commerce program by $291,737,000 in reappropriated funds and a second motion to add that same amount to the Broadband Office’s reappropriated funds. Both motions were seconded (Senator Cook seconded at least one) and carried on roll calls that recorded 20 ayes and 0 nays; the committee recorded a unanimous recommendation to report the corrections favorably.

On the Department of Environmental Quality item, Jessup said the agency’s appropriation had been treated as a general fund reduction rather than a general fund transfer; the committee approved a motion by Senator Woodward to transfer $2,000,000 from the general fund into DEQ’s general fund to restore the agency’s budget. That motion passed unanimously on a roll call.

Two separate corrections were approved for the Department of Health and Welfare after Jessup explained that expenditure items had been placed in the wrong object classes. Representative Price moved to reclassify $160,000 tied to the Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention program from trustee and benefit payments to operating expenditures and later moved a $240,000 change in the Physical Health Services program related to the central tumor registry fund. Both motions were seconded and passed unanimously on roll calls.

Committee clerks called the roll for each motion; staff and analysts described these votes as technical and netting to zero in the statewide general-fund totals because they reallocate previously appropriated dollars rather than add new spending.

What’s next: Committee staff said these corrections will be carried forward in the formal appropriation documents to be drafted after the committee’s votes.