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Senate Finance Committee reviews House Bill 2 language, flags broad "bar" authority and several items for follow-up
Summary
Senate Finance Committee members reviewed language-only changes to House Bill 2 that would grant or expand agencies' budget-adjustment ("bar") authority; staff recommended targeted caps for some agencies, flagged $7 million for San Juan County and open-ended investment-fee language for the State Investment Council, and the committee adopted non-flagged language while requesting follow-up on several items.
Chair opened the session by warning members to follow language carefully because some requests could effectively change spending authority without returning to the Legislature. Charles, LFC staff, walked the committee through a spreadsheet of "bar adjustments" and explained two main authorities agencies seek: (1) the ability to spend up to 5% of certain fee or enterprise revenues and (2) the ability to move money between personnel, contracts and "other" operating categories.
Charles used examples to show how bar authority works in practice. He said the First Judicial District seeks a $60,000 increase to pay for supervised-visitation services funded by child-support-related revenues, and that agencies sometimes request additional FY26 authority when unanticipated revenue or grants arrive. Members repeatedly…
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