Drew Perkins, the governor’s chief of staff, presented Agency 1 exception requests and walked lawmakers through prioritized items in the governor’s office budget book. Perkins said the Federal Natural Resource Policy Account (FERNAPA) had a balance of roughly $3.3 million as of Nov. 20 but carries encumbrances and likely legal or technical needs, and the office requested an additional $1,000,000 "which again is not spend unless it's needed." (chief's presentation)

Perkins described FERNAPA as a fund to respond to federal land, water, air, mineral and other natural‑resource policies that can affect the state’s tax base, wildlife management, recreation and private rights; local governments can apply as cooperating agencies. Staff described typical uses: studies, experts, litigation support and related work to protect state and local interests.

On technology, Perkins asked for about $100,000 to cover Salesforce licensing used across the governor’s office to manage constituent contacts and scheduling. He said Salesforce licensing is expensive and noted work across state agencies to negotiate enterprise licensing where possible. Other exception items Perkins listed included TRP (hardware and software subscriptions), a modest increase in transition funding (from $200,000 to $250,000), a negative exception for unused blockchain task force funds, and carrying over wild‑horse management funding to preserve authorization for planned work on Wind River and other areas.

Committee members asked multiple follow‑ups about the FERNAPA balance, prior litigation (Longview, Port of Oakland) and how the requested funds would be used. Staff explained prior involvement in Longview litigation (case dismissed after bankruptcy of a private operator) and said the California Supreme Court recently found a breach of contract in a Port of Oakland export denial, which could reopen export opportunities and prompted renewed inquiries by multiple Rocky Mountain states. Perkins and other staff noted these matters informed the recommendation to keep litigation and response resources available.

Ending: The committee pressed for further detail on encumbrances, specific obligations and potential use cases for the added litigation resources; staff agreed to provide follow‑up material and budget table references.