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JFAC approves DOPL staffing, vehicle and IT requests and adopts new reporting language for 45 licensing boards
Summary
The committee approved $1.2689 million in dedicated‑fund enhancements for the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — including inspector pay, vehicle replacement and IT hardware — and accepted language aligning reporting requirements for its 45 boards and commissions; the funding package passed 16–4.
The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee approved $1,268,900 in dedicated‑fund enhancements for the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), and the committee accepted on unanimous consent new reporting language that aligns DOPL’s appropriation reporting with a recently passed policy bill.
Kellen McGurkin, a budget analyst with Legislative Services, explained the division regulates more than 200,000 licensees across 45 boards and commissions and is fully supported by dedicated fee revenue. “The agency’s request and governor’s recommendation for FY2026 included three separate enhancement requests before you totaling $1,268,900 from dedicated funds,” McGurkin said.
The approved package, moved by Representative Furness and seconded by Senator Quick, includes: - $222,000 ongoing dedicated funds to increase pay for inspector positions (average about $0.95/hour across 92 full‑time positions) aimed at reducing turnover; - $900,500 one‑time dedicated funds to replace vehicles in the division’s fleet (the agency described purchases including 16 Ford F‑150s at $648,000 total; five Ford Escapes at $160,500 total; one Ford F‑250 at $44,500; and one Ford Explorer at $43,000); and - $146,400 one‑time dedicated funds for Office of Information Technology Services recommended hardware, including conference room equipment and 76 standard laptops (described as replacing about 27% of the division’s 280 laptops), docking stations and networking devices.
After the vote on the funding package, staff presented draft language intended to align DOPL’s reporting requirements in its appropriation bill with “policy bill 152,” which had recently passed both chambers. The language adds a quarterly reporting requirement on the revenues and expenses of each of the 45 boards and commissions; those reports must be sent to the Legislative Services Office and the related board or commission. The language also raises the upper cap on an individual board or commission’s fund balance that triggers a required corrective action plan from 25% to 50%, a change the analyst said reflects a recommendation from the Legislative Audits Division.
The funding motion passed on a roll call vote with a recorded total of 16 ayes and 4 nays. The unanimous‑consent request to accept the reporting language faced no objections and will be included with the bill language forwarded by the committee.
