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Appropriations panel backs $2 million to reimburse county clerks for runoff election costs
Summary
The House Appropriations Committee voted 7-0 to advance House Bill 249, a $2 million appropriation to the Secretary of State’s office to reimburse county clerks for expenses from runoff elections and ensure clerks are not left out-of-pocket.
The House Appropriations Committee on an administrative motion voted to advance House Bill 249, approving a $2,000,000 appropriation to be held at the Secretary of State’s office to reimburse county clerks for the costs of any runoff elections.
Committee members heard a brief explanation from the Speaker, who described the appropriation as a reserve fund to make county clerks “whole” if runoff elections occur. “What this basically is, is this the dollars that are going to be necessary to replace any funds that would be expended by the county clerks in the event that there would be any runoff elections,” the Speaker said while presenting the bill.
The bill’s sponsor and the committee discussed cost uncertainty. Representative Sherwood asked, “Do we have an estimate about, what a runoff election cost per county?” The Speaker replied that costs would be similar to current primary costs, that the funding amount was developed with the Clerk’s Association, and that the appropriation is intended to cover a worst-case scenario in which every one of the state’s 23 counties would require a runoff. The Speaker also noted that “the last time this bill was presented, the estimate was a little over a million dollars for statewide,” and said the $2,000,000 appropriation would cover such an estimate.
No county clerks testified at the hearing. After brief discussion limited to the appropriation and enactment date, the committee moved the bill and conducted a roll call vote. The committee clerk read the roll; the committee recorded seven ayes and no nays, and the motion to report House Bill 249 as do pass carried.
Votes at a glance: Representative Aleman — Aye; Representative Angelos — Aye; Representative Heralton — Aye; Representative Penegrafft — Aye; Representative Sherwood — Aye; Representative Smith — Aye; Chairman Bair — Aye. The committee chair announced “7 aye.”
The committee then resumed other business, with the chair praising the appropriations staff for completing a large volume of referral work. House Bill 249 will move forward to the next stage of the House process.
