Senate Appropriations Committee advances legislative budget, funds $492,000 economic modeling subscription

The Senate Appropriations Committee on an informational session advanced Senate File 2, the legislative budget for fiscal years 2027–28, approving above-the-line appropriations totaling $26,118,778 and a $492,000 subscription for economic modeling software.

Matt Ore, LSO, presented the bill and said the above-the-line package covers general legislative operations from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. Key line items he listed included about $11.5 million for legislative staff (permanent and temporary), $1.15 million for legislator session costs, $2.24 million for legislator interim costs, $575,000 for session staff, employer-paid benefits of $4.9 million and roughly $2.9 million in legislator travel. Ore also listed dues and registration spending, including $293,000 for NCSL and $271,000 for the Council of State Governments, plus administrative support and publishing costs that contributed to the $26,118,778 total.

On one-time items, Ore identified a $492,000 subscription in Section nine for economic modeling software and maintenance to be used by the research and program evaluation division. "This subscription could give us economic modeling down to the county level," Ore said, noting that a statewide-only configuration would likely cost about half as much. He added that the software’s primary purpose is to meet a statutory requirement for LSO to perform economic impact analyses of new executive‑branch agency rules, and that staff would also use it for ad‑hoc member requests.

Committee members asked whether the software would speed routine member modeling requests; Ore said it would be an ancillary benefit but stressed the statutory analysis need. The committee also discussed a provision authorizing legislators to participate in economic development travel, including past participation in trips to Taiwan; Ore clarified the Taiwan language contains no dedicated funding and is an authorization for management council to expend other funds.

Senator Larson offered an amendment to allocate $10,000 to a group described in the bill as the Phoenix Correspondence Commission, renamed in the discussion to the National Federalism Commission, to support interstate work on Article V proposals. A separate suggestion to join a national gaming regulators group was withdrawn when the sponsoring senator did not have a dollar amount available.

With no additional amendments, the committee moved to advance the bill. A roll call recorded affirmative votes from Senators Driscoll, French, Guru, Larson and Salzar; no dissenting votes were recorded in the transcript.

The chair said the committee will determine who will present the bill at a later time. The committee noted upcoming business for the next scheduled meeting, including school facilities maintenance and a gaming amendment, and then adjourned and relocated to a third-floor conference room for further budget presentations.