Committee adopts LFC recommendations on Section 5 reauthorizations; staff to follow up on flagged special appropriations

Santa Fe — The House Appropriations & Finance Committee reviewed more than 50 Section 5 reauthorizations and language-only special appropriations and adopted the Legislative Finance Committee’s recommendation, with staff follow-up requested on several flagged items.

Analysts explained the distinctions: many GROW (Government Results Opportunity) pilot projects were funded across three years and LFC generally recommended against an additional reauthorization when the three-year funding had already been provided. For other items staff recommended reauthorization where there remains an active balance or an ongoing multiyear project (for example the corrections department’s medication-assisted-treatment work and several water infrastructure items).

Members asked for written follow-up on a range of items, including dime-by-dime balances and timelines for the Department of Transportation projects, the Department of Environment’s remediation and neglected-contaminated-sites funds, the CTE/career-technical-education balances and the Rio Grande compact/interstate litigation funding for the Attorney General. LFC said some line items were not included in its recommendation because the funds were already appropriated for upcoming years or because the appropriation records showed the funds expended.

The committee voted to adopt the LFC Section 5 recommendations on a motion by Vice Chair Dixon; the motion passed without recorded opposition. Committee members asked staff to prepare catch-up cleanup language and additional detail where departments had been flagged.