Lawmakers review public health budget overhaul as agency seeks to restore programs, modernize data systems

Division and department leaders briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Wednesday on the Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Public Health Services, outlining requests to restore previously reduced programs, fund workforce incentives and finish multiyear information technology upgrades.

The Division of Public Health Services is asking to restore multiple ongoing programs that were converted to one‑time funding in recent years and to continue a slate of one‑time investments largely supported by federal ARPA and other federal grants. Division staff told the committee the FY2025 base was $164,020,000 and that the governor’s FY2026 recommendation totaled roughly $154,000,000 after adjustments and program restructures discussed at the hearing.

The request covers five program areas: physical health services (immunizations, maternal/child health, chronic and communicable disease prevention), emergency medical services (EMS), laboratory services, suicide prevention and awareness, and health care policy initiatives (including administration of the State Healthcare Innovation Plan, or SHIP). Keith Bybee, division manager of budget and policy analysis, walked members through the line‑item requests and said this review was effectively a “0‑based budgeting” exercise for the division. “You can find it on page 2‑57 in your budget book,” Bybee said while describing the division’s structure and recent funding shifts.

Why it matters: the division distributes most funds as trustee and benefit payments to local public health districts and community providers; changes in ongoing vs. one‑time funding change local planning and staffing. Committee members pressed department leaders about federal grant carryover, data modernization progress and which activities could be moved to other…