Joint Fiscal Office: S‑206 needs startup funds; licensing fees may cover longer‑term costs
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Summary
Jeff Barnett of the Joint Fiscal Office told the committee S‑206 would require an initial FY27 appropriation of $262,000 for two positions, with additional positions and costs noted in the Sunrise assessment and estimated fee revenue projected to begin in FY29.
Jeff Barnett of the Joint Fiscal Office briefed senators on S‑206's draft fiscal note, outlining start‑up appropriations and projected fee revenue.
"The bill would appropriate $262,000 for the two positions from the general fund in fiscal year '27," Barnett told the committee, and he flagged that fee revenue would not be available until fiscal year 2029. He said the Sunrise Review recommended three additional positions beyond those in the bill, with those positions costing about $370,000 annually once in place.
Barnett presented fee and licensure estimates: using the bill's proposed fee structure and an estimated count of licensees, initial licensure revenue could be roughly $800,000 in the first licensure year (FY29) and around $1.2 million in renewal years. He cautioned the numbers are estimates, sensitive to counts of licensees and future changes in license categories.
Committee members asked whether fees are indexed; Barnett said current draft language includes no automatic escalator and that future fee adjustments would require legislative action. Senators raised capacity concerns for the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), transitional licensing for family childcare providers and the sequencing of appropriations versus fee availability.
Barnett said OPR is conducting an interim funding assessment and that additional fiscal analysis will accompany subsequent committee work. The committee accepted the fiscal briefing and planned follow‑up with fiscal staff.