Senate Ways and Means panel approves provisos removing DEI funding and requiring in‑office work for most executive branch employees

The Senate Ways and Means Committee approved two global provisos affecting executive branch operations and the FY2026 budget.

The first proviso, carried by Senator Klase and seconded by Senator Fagg, would delete $2,000,000 from the governor’s office and $2,000,000 from the Department of Administration and move those funds to the State Finance Council. The funds would be returned to the originating agencies only after the council certified a set of conditions, including elimination of positions and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), cancellation of DEI‑related grants or contracts, and removal of gender‑identifying pronouns or gender‑ideology content from official state email signature blocks. Senator Klase described the motion as applying to “all state agencies” and said the funds would be released after certification to the State Finance Council.

A second proviso approved the same day requires full‑time executive branch employees to perform duties at assigned state offices, state facilities or field locations, except where duties require travel or where positions were hired as remote with no assigned office. The proviso explicitly excludes several offices: the attorney general, insurance department, secretary of state, state treasurer, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. Senator Klase said visits to agency offices showed vacant work sites; opponents on the floor questioned whether the change would affect recruitment and noted the proposal was not the result of an audit.

Both motions carried on voice votes. The roll call or numeric tallies were not recorded in the hearing transcript; the chair called for voices and the motions passed after members responded “Aye.”