Senate refers House budget to conference committee after appropriations overview

House Bill 1 (general government appropriations) was taken up on third reading under joint rules and the Senate Appropriations Committee reviewed differences between the House and Senate positions. Senator Salazar and colleagues outlined numerous amendments where the chambers diverge, including university funding, business council allocations, a possible $20 million cut to UW in the House plan, state‑employee compensation changes and other program shifts.

Committee leaders told the floor that the general‑fund difference between House and Senate positions was roughly $160 million. Because of the number of differences, the Senate referred the House bill directly to a conference committee composed of five members from each chamber to negotiate a final budget on both the Senate and House budget bills (Senate File 1 and House Bill 1). The referral was done under joint rule 14‑1F and will allow the appointed conference members to meet and reconcile line‑item differences.

The Senate also handled two House bills in Committee of the Whole: House Bill 4 (Birthing Centers Medicaid Coverage) and House Bill 5 (Oil and Gas Bonding Pool investment language) were reported due pass by the Committee of the Whole and returned to the floor with recommendations. House Bill 4 discussion on the floor clarified that the bill authorizes Medicaid reimbursement to licensed birthing‑center facilities and is not an expansion of Medicaid eligibility; proponents said the measure could reduce Medicaid costs because birthing centers typically bill at a lower rate than hospitals.