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Committee restores Office of Cost Containment language to budget after department says new budget would need staff increases
Summary
Legislators voted to retain language restoring the Office of Cost Containment (House Bill 611) in the budget and asked LBA to prepare an HB2 amendment to restore the office; agencies warned re‑staffing would cost money up front but could raise longer‑term revenue.
The committee voted unanimously to restore the Office of Cost Containment provision in House Bill 2 after agency testimony confirmed that closing the office would require up‑front staff redirections and that revenue flows from enforcement and collections would take time to re‑establish.
Commissioner Arlinghaus explained the office had 10 staff in earlier years but was operating with four at the time of the hearing and that reconstituting the office would require hiring and lead time; revenue from collections tends to ramp up over time, he said. Committee members asked LBA to prepare an HB2 amendment to restore the office in the budget and to provide language for administrative steps (closing and record destruction) if the office is later dissolved.
The committee voted to retain the language and requested an HB2 amendment to restore the original statutory provisions the office previously carried.
