Appropriations committee approves $836,667 transfer so personnel funding follows moved staff

Scott Moore, director of legislative operations, told the House Appropriations Committee on Jan. 16 that staff who support committee assistance had been moved administratively from Legislative Operations to Legislative Council and that the budget must be adjusted so pay follows the employees. "We need to take out $836,667... and move some of that to Legislative Council and some of that to the Joint Fiscal Office," Moore said, describing the transfer as a mechanical adjustment.

Moore said the transfer affects a line item in the legislative budget identified on the memo as section b 126. He said the overall Legislature total in the larger bill remains $26,044,703 after the reclassification, making the change net neutral. As evidence of prior spending that will be reclassified, Moore noted committee assistance attended a week of training in December and those expenses will be moved via journal entries so expenditures align with the receiving budgets.

Previewing fiscal year 2027 materials, Moore cautioned that reclassifying positions will change year‑to‑year percentage comparisons. "Legislative Council's budget looks like it's going up 19.8%, which is a shocker. But it's not really," he said, explaining the apparent increase reflects the reallocation of personnel costs rather than new spending. He added staff will perform the necessary back‑end journal transactions to correct where expenses were charged earlier in the fiscal year.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about where the adjustment appears in committee spreadsheets and whether formal language would be added. A committee member said the explanation from staff had been heard and the committee would include the appropriate language in the budget adjustment. No formal recorded roll‑call vote appears in the transcript; the committee chair and members agreed to move forward with the change and to place the language into the adjustment.

The committee also received scheduling and process announcements: a noon refresher on "Tax 73," the education bill from last year, to be presented by counsel in Room 11, and a 1:00 p.m. joint meeting with Ways and Means for an in‑depth review with legislative economists. The committee closed after the routine business and thanked Moore for his presentation.

The action will be implemented through budget amendment language and internal journal transfers; staff indicated they will return with FY27 materials reflecting the reclassification.