Senate finance panel restores corrections positions, approves $5 million back‑of‑budget cut

The State Senate Finance Committee approved amendments to the Department of Corrections budget that committee members said reduce the House’s proposed $35 million cut and restore positions the department requested be retained. The committee also approved a separate committee amendment to place a $5,000,000 back‑of‑budget cut in reserve, to be returned to the governor if revenues allow.

Committee members moved to combine and act on multiple Department of Corrections items (listed as 2a–2e on the packet) and voted to approve the package. The motion to move the items was seconded and the chair recorded, “All those in favor of a through e say aye … The ayes have it.”

Why it matters: lawmakers said the revised package preserves operational capacity and programs that may reduce recidivism while responding to fiscal constraints. Committee members emphasized the change was negotiated with agency staff to avoid operational problems the House cuts could have caused.

Committee discussion and details: a committee member said the House had proposed a $35 million cut but that, after work with department staff, the committee would “come in with” about $14 million in net reductions. Several members praised staff work to examine hundreds of positions and to reach compromises with the department. Senator Warner welcomed John Skipper as the agency’s acting director and said, “He’s great,” while expressing a desire for clarity from management on how the budget would operate if the House’s version prevailed.

The committee also addressed parole and probation staffing. A floor staff member explained that, because the committee was changing position counts, committee amendments (referred to as HB‑1 and HB‑2 in the discussion) would be needed to adjust parole officer positions in accounting unit 8302 and to record a probation/parole officer vacancy that will occur by attrition. The committee approved those committee amendments without objection.

After the main package vote, a committee member moved a separate committee amendment to set aside a $5,000,000 back‑of‑budget cut. That amendment was seconded and approved with a roll call of “ayes have it,” allowing the governor to request restoration from fiscal if revenues permit.

What the committee did not decide: the discussion noted some positions would be filled by attrition over the biennium rather than immediate layoffs; committee members recorded that those implementation details had been incorporated into the amendment language and that further technical amendments would be filed to reflect accounting‑unit changes.

Ending: Committee members said the changes were intended to preserve safety and essential programming while addressing fiscal limits; technical committee amendments to reflect accounting‑unit changes will be filed and the committee recorded the votes as approved.