Appropriations panel advances amended FY budget with road investments, program reallocations and mental‑health funding

The Senate Appropriations Committee reviewed House Bill 973, the state's amended fiscal‑year budget, and voted to advance the measure after a broad presentation of line‑item changes and member questions.

Key takeaways: Committee members were told the Senate's amended budget increases road investments by over $2 billion, restores full funding to the State Elections Board after a proposed cut by the House, redirects a House $220 million private‑prison add to $180 million for two modular facilities on state land, and proposes targeted investments to address a structural shortage at the Department of Human Services (about $89 million).

The presenter said the Senate funded graduate medical education ($20 million across several hospitals), added $15 million at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for child‑endangerment reporting, and allocated $88 million for an aerospace building at Georgia Tech. The Senate trimmed the governor's $300 million "Dreams" endowment to $100 million while encouraging private philanthropic contributions and set a $1,250 one‑time employee supplement (down from a proposed $2,000), noting the Senate tax plan would provide additional tax savings for employees.

On public‑safety and mental‑health priorities, the presenter told the committee the state recently received a memorandum with the U.S. Department of Justice and a federal judge agreed parts of the Olmstead‑related settlement were satisfied; the presenter said that timing allowed the Senate to propose a major investment in a new state mental‑health facility to add forensic and inpatient capacity (the transcript contains a garbled dollar figure for this line; the presenter described a ~300‑bed facility). The sponsor asked members to move quickly to address jail overcrowding and the need for forensic beds.

The Senate also reduced a proposed $50 million homelessness program to $25 million and directed $15 million of that to the Department of Veterans Services; it boosted GEFA gas‑line funding to $55 million, and directed the use of recently allocated federal broadband/fiber funds (described as ~ $900 million in federal BEAD/BEED allocations) to prioritize Next Gen 9‑1‑1 modernization where eligible.

Members asked clarifying questions: Chair Lady Kirkpatrick asked whether the DHS backfill is a one‑time fix and confirmed a study committee would follow; Senator O'Rourke sought clarity on the Dreams program and whether a $25 million financial‑aid line was removed — the chair confirmed the Senate set the endowment at $100 million and did not include the $25 million immediate financial‑aid allocation that had been in the governor's/houses' proposals.

A motion to advance House Bill 973 was moved by the President Pro Tem and seconded (transcript identifies the motion and second but does not provide individual names for those procedural actions); the committee voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously. The committee then adjourned.

Next steps: The committee forwarded HB 973 for further Senate consideration after the unanimous committee vote.