Ways and Means committee adopts multiple Ag & Natural Resources budget recommendations, including agriculture, water and parks adjustments

The Senate Ways and Means Committee (subcommittee on Agriculture & Natural Resources) adopted a series of motions to approve the committee’s recommended budgets, changes and one balloon amendment across several agencies for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

Votes at a glance: All motions listed below were presented on the committee floor and approved by voice vote (committee recorded “Aye”; counts not specified in the transcript).

- Department of Agriculture, FY2025: Committee motion to adopt the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee report for the Department of Agriculture for FY2025 carried (mover: Senator Peck; second: Senator Alley). No dollar totals were changed beyond concurrence with the House Committee of the Whole recommendation for FY2025.

- Department of Agriculture, FY2026: Committee motion to adopt the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee report for FY2026 carried (mover: Senator Peck; second: Senator Feige). Key items in the committee’s FY2026 adjustments, as described by Senator Peck, included deleting $1,500,000 from State Water Plan Fund conservation district aids, deleting $1,500,000 from State Water Plan Fund for conservation reserve enhancement and water resources cost share (the committee described those deletions as returning above‑request items to the agency base), deleting $650,000 from State Water Plan Fund watershed dam construction (the committee noted the agency’s request differed and the…