Senate Finance Committee adopts committee substitutes for operating and mental-health budgets
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Summary
The Senate Finance Committee voted to adopt committee substitutes (CS 0) for Senate Bill 213 (operating budget) and Senate Bill 215 (mental health appropriations) as its working documents; staff said the substitutes are largely technical, with one substantive change rolling a proposed Department of Agriculture into DNR pending litigation.
The Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 11 adopted committee substitutes (CS 0) for Senate Bill 213, the state operating budget, and Senate Bill 215, the mental health appropriations, moving both bills forward as the committee's working documents.
Senator Gary Stedman moved to adopt the committee substitute for SB 213 and told the committee, "I move that the finance committee adopt the committee substitute for senate bill 213 finance 34 dash GS 22 49 8 back slash n before the committee as our working document." Committee staff attorney Pete Eklund described the substitute as "technical and conforming changes" that generally track the governor's introduced budget but roll the proposed Department of Agriculture back into the Department of Natural Resources because of pending litigation over the department's creation.
On SB 215, Stedman moved similarly: "I move that the finance committee adopt the committee substitute for senate bill 215, finance 34 dash GS 252," and Eklund said the CS contains the same class of technical and conforming edits. In both cases the chair removed his objection after the staff explanation and, after no further objections, "that motion is adopted."
Why it matters: adopting committee substitutes formalizes the language the committee will use as it refines and negotiates the budgets. The staffing and legal change about the Department of Agriculture could affect program placement and oversight if the courts resolve the litigation in favor of the governor or the legislature.
The committee did not record roll-call vote tallies on the floor for these adoptions; both actions proceeded after no committee member objected. The committee recessed after the morning session and scheduled an afternoon session at 1:30 p.m.
Next steps: the substitutes serve as the working documents for further committee work and any subsequent floor action.
