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JFAC staff flags bills with potential general fund impacts in daily update
Summary
Keith Bybee of Legislative Services summarized bills with fiscal notes that could require appropriations, including judicial pay proposals, Medicaid eligibility changes and a cybersecurity resiliency fund, and responded to committee questions about totaling potential impacts.
Keith Bybee, division manager of budget policy analysis with the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 14 that several bills listed on the committee's daily general fund update include fiscal notes that could require new appropriations.
Bybee singled out a subset of bills in the packet under the category labeled "APP for appropriation," calling those "germane pieces of legislation that have a fiscal note from the general fund that would require an additional appropriation or, in some cases, a reduction of an appropriation." He read a series of bills and the fiscal effects recorded on their fiscal notes.
The list he read included House Bill 111 (a photo ID requirement for SNAP benefits, requested one-time and ongoing funding); House Bill 124 (a judicial salary increase with a $10 million fiscal note); House Bill 138 (changes to Medicaid eligibility with projected savings of $109 million); and several others with one-time and ongoing costs such as a $10 million cybersecurity resiliency fund and a proposed $14.8 million Education Opportunity Grant. He also identified Senate bills for new district judges with fiscal notes of $408,100 each, a $5 million K-3 literacy professional development proposal, and other measures. Bybee cautioned the committee that the Child Protective Act update item on his sheet may have a sign error on the fiscal column and apologized for typos, saying, "I think I had the sign backward on that one."
Representative Tanner asked for the packet to include a single total line so members can see the aggregate potential exposure from revenue and appropriation bills. Bybee agreed and said he would provide a total for revenue bills and a total for appropriations going forward, noting that the totals would include bills that might not pass but would give the committee "a good idea of what's out there that might need funding because that impacts the decisions we're making on a daily basis." He added that the totals are inclusive of everything listed and will help members see whether there is room in the budget for priorities.
The daily update was presented as an informational briefing; no motion was required. Bybee concluded by offering to answer committee questions.
The update informed subsequent appropriation motions heard later in the session, which the committee considered item by item.
