Appropriations vehicle advances after committee hears $35 million Medicaid deficit and multiple settlements

The committee advanced an annual appropriations vehicle intended to cover off‑season and fiscal‑year 2026 obligations, including a $35 million deficit request for the Division of Medicaid and multiple settlement and litigation payments.

The chair walked members through numbered sections of the bill, saying it is the recurring vehicle the legislature uses to cover unanticipated or offseason obligations. "This is an pretty much an annual, unfortunately, an annual, act that we have to do every year," the chair said, and then listed items and funding sources.

Why it matters: the bill bundles discrete, time‑sensitive obligations — from wrongful‑incarceration payouts to federal grant changes that affected counties — into a single capital‑expense appropriation so agencies and counties can be paid during FY26.

Key provisions and amounts - Attorney general settlements and capital expenses: Section 1 includes a continuing settlement fee of $10,000 to the EPA for a Chemfac Superfund site and multiple wrongful‑incarceration payments that the chair said are statutory. The chair listed recipients and amounts, including $50,000 per year for Curtis Flowers, Eddie Lee Howard and Sherwood Duane Brown; Courtney Williams ($40,000 for time served plus $8,000 attorneys' fees); and Kelton Hathorne ($86,000, including $50,000 plus $36,000 in attorneys' fees).

- Ongoing litigati…