Judiciary Committee rejects bill that would limit supplemental budget requests to emergencies

Senate File 180, a bill that would have codified statutory limits on supplemental budget recommendations to emergency uses, failed on a 2-3 roll call before the Judiciary Committee.

Senator Darren Smith, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure "just codifies what nearly every governor and every legislature said about the supplemental budget. And that's that it's for emergencies." Smith described the draft language as a baseline to distinguish ordinary biennium spending from true emergencies.

Proponents said the bill would curb recurring or nonurgent supplemental requests from agencies. Kevin Lewis, a Laramie County resident who testified in support, said agencies "turn[ ] it into a yearly endeavor" and argued the bill would help stop requests that are not true emergencies.

Opponents, including the governor's office and the Department of Health, warned the limitations could create statutory…