DHHS chief outlines $60 million lapse, hiring freeze and personnel cuts ahead of next biennium

Nathan White, chief financial officer for the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Health and Human Services Oversight Committee on May 16 that the department expects an estimated $60 million general‑fund lapse for the current state fiscal year and is preparing for additional reductions in the 2026–27 biennium.

White said the legislature’s “back of the budget” language currently contemplates about a $23 million general‑fund reduction each year of the next biennium that the commissioner will be required to implement through expenditure reductions. He also said DHHS is planning for a roughly $30 million reduction to personnel costs — which he estimated would affect about 400 positions — and has put a hiring freeze in place…