Joint Budget Committee approves several interim supplementals including DOC bed funds and partial lab spending

The Joint Budget Committee approved a series of interim supplemental requests and over-expenditure letters after staff presentations and member debate.

Capital transfer (DOC capital): The committee approved staff'recommended over-expenditure to allow the Department of Corrections to shift $446,212 from a Buena Vista sewer-line project to an East Canyon City water-tank replacement and directed that the formal appropriation adjustments be completed in the regular supplemental bill process.

DOC caseload supplemental: After a lengthy exchange about alternatives and whether prison-population management measures should be allowed to proceed before adding beds, the committee approved a DOC supplemental to fund additional medium-security beds intended to reduce county jail backlog. Staff said the July/August population was hundreds higher than budgeted and that medium-security vacancy rates were very low. The motion passed 4-2 (Representatives Sirota and Amabile recorded as objecting). Staff and members noted this is a short-term response and urged DOC to implement statutory population-management steps.

Community Impact Grants (CDPHE): The department requested emergency spending authority to cover environmental-justice grants whose timing collided with a change from continuous appropriation to annual appropriation. Staff recommended denial of emergency treatment but recommended consideration during the regular supplemental. The committee voted 5-1 to approve the department request for the funding; Senator Kirkmeyer objected.

State public health laboratory (CDPHE) recertification: CDPHE requested emergency funding to support EPA recertification for water-quality testing. The original package included instruments, six staff, and an external historical-data review contract (about $592,000). Committee members pressed for more detail. The committee approved a constrained package: continued funding for the three incumbent lab chemistry FTE and funding for a historical-data review but at 50% of the requested contract amount; the committee also required a written RFI with follow-up information due to the Joint Budget Committee before the next meeting (committee instructed staff to prepare the RFI questions). The motion passed unanimously on the narrower package.

WIC bridging request: CDPHE asked for $7.5M GF to bridge WIC food benefits if a federal shutdown on Oct. 1 prevented distribution. Staff and legislative legal counsel advised the committee that a federal shutdown must be certain before emergency criteria are met, and that statutory authority to spend state money for WIC benefits was unclear. The committee deferred final action and asked staff and counsel to pursue legal and operational alternatives before reconvening.

Health, life and dental (HLD) claims: The committee approved a staff-recommended over-expenditure of $17.7M ($9.8M GF) to cover projected increases in state health, life and dental claims for FY25-26. Staff said fund deficits otherwise would force agencies to absorb the cost by cutting personal-services or other lines.

Each motion referenced staff analyses and, where required, carried committee votes recorded on the transcript. Several members urged further follow-up; for the lab package and WIC matter the committee required additional written responses and asked agencies to return with refined proposals.