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Appropriations Committee requests bill drafts for wildfire staffing, a wildland module and a sales tax diversion for local distribution
Summary
The Joint Appropriations Committee asked the Legislative Service Office to draft multiple proposals and provide information to help expand wildfire capacity and clarify fiscal options.
At the end of the Oct. 31 meeting the committee moved several directives to Legislative Service Office (LSO) for bill drafting or information.
Representative Smith proposed a bill draft request to divert 5.6% of accrued statewide sales and use tax collections — calculated from the 4% statewide tax base — from amounts deposited in the general fund and direct those funds to the Office of State Lands and Investments for distribution to cities, towns and counties using the same distribution model used in the FY2025‑26 biennium, with half of the fiscal year payments on Oct. 15 and half on March 15. The motion was taken to LSO without objection.
Representative Harrelson asked LSO to draft legislation authorizing two additional inmate module leader FTEs in the State Budget Department/State Forestry Division to build capacity for an additional smoke buster hand crew and depth of bench for the existing crew. Harrelson’s request specified staggered effective dates (07/01/2026 and 07/01/2027) and a total funding figure of $750,000 (with $500,000 listed as one‑time), subject to LSO and agency refinement.
Representative Angelus asked LSO to draft a bill to authorize creation of one wildland fire suppression module under State Forestry: the module would include 12 positions (2 permanent FTEs and 10 seasonal positions) and an estimated cost of $1,580,000, including $500,000 one‑time. The committee directed LSO to coordinate with State Forestry on precise language and numbers.
Representative Sherwood requested an informational analysis — not a bill draft — on reclassifying state foresters as wildland firefighters, including pay days after a 14‑day fire assignment, inclusion in firefighter pension plan B and hazard pay; LSO and agencies were asked to return options and cost estimates.
All directives were forwarded to LSO as requests for drafting or information; the committee characterized them as the start of a policy and budgeting process that will continue in December and the 2026 session.
