JBC members split on using Unclaimed Property Trust Fund for adult dental benefit

Members of the Joint Budget Committee spent an extended portion of the meeting debating whether to finance an adult dental benefit with the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund or to shift it to the general fund.

The chair and others warned that the trust fund is held in trust for rightful owners and that sustained draws—estimated in the discussion at roughly $65–$75 million annually for the adult dental benefit—could reduce the corpus available to return to citizens. "It is a trust fund. It is held in trust for people whose property is unclaimed, but it is theirs," the chair said, urging caution.

Senator Mable (spoken as both "Mable" and "Mabile" in the transcript) and Representative Sirota raised concerns that political realities would make reversing fund changes difficult in a future session, and that multiple bills drawing on the same fund this year could create constraints next year. Representative Sirota said undoing the change would be unlikely outside of a very large fiscal crisis such as 2020.

JBC staff Craig Harper explained the reserve implications: the committee heard that moving the adult dental funding to the general fund would create a reserve impact (staff cited 15% of $74,000,000, roughly $10,000,000) but stated the committee could remain balanced under some versions of the budget, estimating a possible $5,000,000 over the reserve in one scenario. Members sought additional data and possible pay-fors to make the program sustainable or to avoid permanent reliance on the trust fund.

No formal motion or vote on the funding source was taken at the meeting; members agreed further analysis was needed and discussion would continue.