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Proposal to sweep unspent agency funds into restricted account fails on House floor
Summary
Representative Matthews’ bill to capture half of lapsing agency funds for behavioral health and child care failed 23–42 after floor debate over fiscal tradeoffs and overlaps with existing programs.
A House proposal that would have directed 50% of annual lapsing agency funds into a restricted account for behavioral health and child care failed on Tuesday.
Representative Matthews, the sponsor, used a car‑repair analogy to explain the bill. "What this bill does is at the end of every fiscal year, the portion of lapsing funds ... it captures 50% of those funds and dumps them into a restricted account that will be used for 2 specific purposes," she said on the floor, adding the intent was to reinvest efficiencies into programs for lower‑income families.
Opponents raised fiscal concerns and noted the Legislature recently adopted other child‑care tax credits and funding; Representative Peck said the proposal risked overcommitting general fund resources and could be duplicative of current measures. After debate the measure failed on final passage, 23–42, and was referred to staff for filing.
Because the bill did not pass, no restricted account will be established and no implementation steps will follow. Lawmakers on both sides characterized the vote as part of a broader discussion about how to prioritize limited state resources for behavioral health and child care.
