Budget Section counsel outlines new emergency‑commission approval process effective July 1, 2025

Brady, legislative staff, presented a memorandum to the Budget Section describing statutory changes to emergency commission and Budget Section approval processes that take effect July 1, 2025. "Going forward, there are now not going to be any of these different tiers and all requests will need to be approved by the budget section and then budget section will have the authority to amend any of the requests regardless of dollar amount," Brady said.

The memo summarized two principal changes. First, the tiered approval thresholds governing emergency commission referrals will be replaced: previously, requests under $50,000 did not require Budget Section approval, requests between $50,000 and $3 million required Budget Section approval but could not be amended, and requests over $3 million required Budget Section approval and could be amended. Under the new process, all emergency commission requests will be routed to the Budget Section and the Budget Section will have authority to amend requests at any dollar level.

Second, the memorandum confirmed that the 2025–27 biennium includes an explicit legislative appropriation for state contingencies in three separate categories: $750,000 general fund, $20,000,000 special funds and $50,000,000 federal funds. Brady told members that unspent contingency appropriations will turn back at the end of the biennium.

Brady said the changes follow House Bill 1233 language and related session actions; the new processes will be used beginning with the Sept. 25, 2025, Budget Section meeting. Members had no substantive questions during the presentation.