Finance committee advances $59.7 billion appropriations bill with disaster-relief, education and health priorities

The Finance, Ways and Means Committee on April 15 approved House Bill 14-09, the Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026, advancing a $59,700,000,000 spending package to the next stage of the legislative process.

Chairman Hicks described the bill on the committee floor as "the Appropriations Act, house bill 14 o 9," and walked members through the budget composition and major allocations. The fiscal 2026 plan Presidented to the committee totals $59.7 billion, with roughly 50.5% from state appropriations ($29.7 billion), 30.5% from federal funds ($20.8 billion) and about 15% from other sources ($9.2 billion), according to the committee presentation.

The bill packages a mixture of recurring and nonrecurring spending. Chairman Hicks told the committee that recent practice has been to use recurring revenue for one-time items, leaving substantial balances at each fiscal-year start. The bill assumes a 2% growth in recurring state revenues for fiscal 2026 and incorporates roughly $700 million in nonrecurring investment earnings and $346 million in nonrecurring TennCare shared savings. The legislative amendment reallocates roughly $179 million from the governor's proposal to fund about $181 million in member-requested amendments and legislation.

Major allocations highlighted in the committee presentation include:

- Disaster relief: $597 million total, including $240 million for TEMA disaster…