House passes $23.5 billion appropriations adjustment package, highlights education and infrastructure investments

Representative Last presented Senate Bill 3 to the House as the final appropriations package for fiscal year 2022, calling it the "Bill of Bills" because it consolidates many fiscal items passed during the session. On the floor he characterized the total as approximately $23,500,000,000, with about $10,000,000,000 from the general and education funds and nearly $7,000,000,000 from federal sources.

Representative Last summarized major investments: restoration of a 6% increase to the weighted pupil unit and $121,000,000 in teacher bonuses; $1.1 billion in roads and transit (spread over multiple years while limiting new debt); creation of two new state parks funded at about $36,000,000 (with roughly one‑third paid from investment earnings); $56,000,000 for wildfire suppression; and significant funding for mental‑health services and Medicaid growth. He described leveraging $50,000,000 in tax proceeds to secure $730,000,000 in public‑private housing funds.

Floor debate was limited; the bill was described repeatedly as the product of weeks of fiscal work by analysts and committees. Representative Last commended fiscal analysts and staff. The clerk recorded the final vote: Senate Bill 3 passed the House with 67 yes votes and 4 no votes and will be returned to the Senate for signature.

What’s next: After transmittal the bill will go to the Senate and then to the governor. Fiscal details and agency implementation plans will follow through appropriations committee oversight and department budgets.