Subcommittee chair sets $500 million general‑revenue target for markup; members warn of substance‑use program cuts

The subcommittee chair (name not provided in the transcript) told members preparing for markup of House Bills 10 and 11 that his goal is to secure $500,000,000 in general revenue savings while coordinating reductions across the bills.

"It is my goal to have $500,000,000 of GR on the bottom line," the chair said, arguing the two bills account for roughly 49% of the overall budget and that items should be triaged into three tiers: statutory or cost‑saving "musts," "needs" that protect the most vulnerable, and optional "wants." The chair said funding will follow that order and urged members to send prioritized, categorized requests to him for consideration.

The session focused on process as much as numbers. The chair asked members to identify offsets for any proposed increases and said general revenue is fungible but dedicated or federal funds cannot be repurposed. He set an operational deadline for members to deliver priorities to him by noon the following day and said budget office staff and LA Meerhad were available to help clarify proposals. "If I haven't heard from you by noon, I'm gonna have a hard time squeezing you in," he said.

Members pressed for specifics. Representative Black, identified in the transcript as a representative and invoked in roll call as vice chair, said his emphasis has long been on maintaining substance‑use disorder programs and asserted that proposed cuts could total about $35,000,000. Citing a task force, he said "every dollar we spend saves the state 7," and said he would seek offsets himself and meet the chair's timeline for information.

The chair responded that he would flag departmental‑identified reductions when making requested cuts so colleagues on the floor would know where proposals originated, but he described many departmental suggestions as informal brainstorming — "literally chicken scratches on a Post it" — and not formal documents.

Other topics included whether TANF funds could be used in place of general revenue; the chair said he prefers using TANF instead of GR where rules allow but that fungibility must be reviewed on a case‑by‑case basis. When asked whether subcommittees would promote items against other subcommittees' priorities, the chair said he can only control what is on his desk and cannot guarantee other chairs will share the same view.

The chair estimated that, mathematically, achieving the $500 million GR target could require overall cuts in the neighborhood of $2,000,000,000 — "2, 2 and a half billion" — but said he would accept smaller cuts if possible. He stressed he would try to be fair and transparent and closed the brief meeting after reminding members he aimed to keep the discussion under 20 minutes.

The subcommittee took no formal votes or motions during the session and adjourned without further action.