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JFAC sets program‑maintenance budgets and explains process for FY2026
Summary
Committee approved program‑maintenance budgets across multiple agencies and heard staff explain the budgeting process (base budget → decision units → program maintenance). Several agency maintenance budgets and associated language were approved by roll call.
The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee approved program‑maintenance budgets on Jan. 17 for a range of state functional areas and received a staff briefing on how the maintenance budgets are constructed.
Mr. Bybee and other Legislative Services staff told the committee that a program maintenance budget starts with the FY2026 base (the ongoing authorization from previous sessions), removes one‑time funding, and then adds incremental statewide decision units such as contract inflation and statewide cost allocations. Mr. Bybee said the statewide program maintenance total in one of the materials was approximately $12.6 billion when showing a full statewide front‑end view.
Over the hearing the committee took separate roll‑call votes to set maintenance budgets or caps for multiple agency groups, including (representative examples): - Legislative Branch program maintenance: total program maintenance $12,546,100; motion passed 20‑0 (ayes). Representative Miller moved the appropriation and Senator Ward Engelking seconded. - Judicial Branch program maintenance: program maintenance totals and language approved; motion passed 20‑0 (ayes). - Constitutional officers, public safety, general government, economic development, natural resources, and other agency groups were each considered; motions to adopt maintenance totals, FTP caps where applicable, and standard appropriation language were carried on recorded votes (most unanimous as recorded by the clerks).
Staff provided additional, agency‑specific context for some budgets: for the Legislative Branch the automatic statutory transfer to the legislative account (reported in committee materials as about $8.1 million) remains a statutory transfer and is not part of the appropriated budget; the Judicial Branch has a separate remittance process for judge retirement contributions and received reappropriation authority for ARPA funds; public‑safety budgets include restrictions on transfers for county/out‑of‑state placement and medical programs within the Department of Correction; and natural resources language included reporting and reappropriation provisions tied to environmental remediation, water projects and Endowment Fund Investment Board continuous appropriation for custodial and consulting fees.
Why it matters: The votes set the baseline ongoing appropriations agencies will carry into the FY2026 deliberations and established standard clear language (exemptions, reappropriations, accountability reports) that will appear in appropriation bills. Committee staff said some remaining items — notably CEC (compensation) and health insurance decisions — were unresolved and will be addressed at a future meeting.
The committee scheduled a review session when the drafted appropriation bills (reflecting the votes taken) are ready for technical review.
