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Appropriations committee caps Department of Insurance advertising at $750,000 for 2027
Summary
After debate over rising marketing expenditures, the committee approved an amendment limiting the Department of Insurance's printing and advertising line to no more than $750,000 in FY2027 and asked agencies to justify marketing growth in future budgets.
The Committee on Appropriations approved an amendment limiting the Department of Insurance's printing and advertising line to no more than $750,000 for fiscal year 2027.
Vice Chair Williams, citing steadily increasing marketing and advertising budgets across agencies, moved to cap the Department of Insurance's printing and advertising at $750,000 for 2027. Williams noted the department's statewide advertising line had risen from roughly $640,000 in 2024 to a higher budgeted figure in 2027 and said the committee should "put a marker" and ask for more information about these increases. Members debated whether the motion would micromanage agency operations or serve as a useful budgetary bookmark for oversight. Representative Turk and other members supported the motion as a way to prompt follow-up and reporting.
After discussion the committee seconded the motion and approved it by voice vote; the transcript records ayes and noes without a roll-call count. Chair Walsinger and others indicated staff should follow up in subsequent briefings to clarify how advertising dollars are used and whether increases produce measurable public benefits.
Context: Chair Walsinger also had presented the department's budget changes, including funding for a real-time motor-vehicle insurance verification system required by 2025 SB 42; members said they wanted to ensure marketing lines are scrutinized even as technical programs advance.
