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Committee debates making REED Act/early-literacy transfers explicit in the budget
Summary
JBC staff proposed converting recurring transfers into appropriations for early-literacy (REED Act) funding to increase budget transparency; members debated merits and asked for departmental reporting before deciding whether to pursue legislation.
Amanda Bickle proposed a technical cleanup: instead of transferring $34 million annually from the State Education Fund into an early-literacy cash fund, make those amounts explicit appropriations in the long bill so the origin and use of funds are visible in the budget. She told members the change would not alter total funding but would improve transparency of the State Education Fund’s use.
Committee members were split on whether making the transfer an appropriation would lock future legislatures into a required spend level; some said they preferred increased transparency, while others worried an appropriation could constrain future flexibility and require repeal to change the flow. Senator Kirkmeyer and others said they worried about program effectiveness and urged careful assessment before converting transfers to appropriations.
Members asked staff and the department for a short briefing and fund-balance information for figure setting. No bill was adopted at the meeting; several members signaled support for pursuing a transparency bill after reviewing more data.
