House Appropriations committee adopts HAFC 'ketchup cleanup' packet, sends instructions to draft House Bill 2
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Summary
The House Appropriations and Finance Committee voted to adopt the HAFC "ketchup cleanup" packet — a set of technical corrections and targeted funding adjustments across multiple agencies — and appointed a small technical group to finalize drafting for House Bill 2. Major items included recurring cybersecurity funding, increases for Medicaid personal care services, and redistributed housing dollars.
The House Appropriations and Finance Committee on Thursday adopted the HAFC "ketchup cleanup" packet, a consolidated set of technical changes, reauthorizations and targeted appropriations that revise both recurring and nonrecurring funds for multiple state agencies.
Vice Chair Dixon moved to adopt the full packet; the motion was seconded by Ranking Member Chatfield and, after no recorded opposition, Chair Cherry Small declared the packet adopted. Chair Small then appointed a two-member technical drafting team to work with Legislative Finance Committee staff to prepare House Bill 2 over the weekend.
Budget director Amanda Breiding told the panel the packet bundles final adjustments members have considered over the last several weeks and contains items ranging from technical language fixes to substantive recurring increases. "So we will go ahead and start with ketchup cleanup," Breiding said as she walked members through the packet, which staff described as the final drafting instructions for LFC to turn into bill language.
Highlights in the adopted packet include: a recurring $5.8 million increase to bolster the Department of Information Technology's cybersecurity office; a recurring $550,000 package for DFA to increase capacity in the local government division; additions to behavioral health and aging supports (including an increase tied to personal care services rate adjustments); and a rebalancing of a previously proposed $100 million housing appropriation among the Mortgage Finance Authority, DFA and the Opportunity Enterprise Fund.
The committee also added a number of reauthorizations and smaller special appropriations for higher education, public safety technology, workforce pilots and tribal early childhood convenings. LFC and agency staff flagged language items to clarify whether funds are recurring or nonrecurring and to ensure appropriations land in the correct operating accounts.
Chair Small closed the meeting by thanking staff and members and directing the appointed technical committee to work with LFC staff on drafting. LFC staff will prepare the formal House Bill 2 language for the committee's continued review next week.
