Appropriations & Finance committee adopts consensus agencies, begins review of $2.24 billion in specials and supplementals

The Appropriations & Finance Committee met in a public session to review special appropriations, supplemental requests and proposed fund transfers for fiscal 2027 and later years. After introductory remarks and a roll call, the committee adopted a motion to accept the executive recommendation for the set of agencies identified as the "consensus" packet, while adopting LFC-recommended language for the Vocational Rehabilitation Division.

Amanda Breiding, chief of staff for HAFC, opened the session by walking members through the packet and the process, saying, “You all have heard over 50 agencies this week…This morning, I just wanna talk through a little bit of what's on the agenda so we all know what's happening and what you're voting on, what you're not voting on.” Joseph Simon, an LFC analyst, summarized the executive special appropriations recommendation as "$2,238,000,000," with about $1.7 billion from the general fund concentrated primarily in the special appropriations category.

Vice Chair Dixon moved to "adopt the executive budget recommendation on all agencies included in the consensus packet with the adoption of the LFC recommended language for the Vocational Rehabilitation Division," a motion the chair declared adopted after no opposition was raised. The committee made clear that adopting consensus agencies was intended to save time and that the larger special appropriations packet would receive detailed page-by-page review and follow-up work groups.

The presentation flagged major items that members highlighted for follow-up. Analysts noted substantial differences between the executive and LFC recommendations driven largely by fund transfers. Committee members asked for additional detail and documentation on prior-year spending and project status — for example, a request for an accounting of a previously appropriated $6 million for the Santa Fe Magistrate Court and for reports or outcome data tied to criminal justice pilot programs. Members also asked staff to pull together funding inventories for cross-cutting topics such as cybersecurity, water projects and public media support.

Next steps: analysts will continue the full-committee review of the specials and supplementals, identify guardrails in language where needed, and form work groups to examine IT requests, BAR authority, and other high-dollar items before final committee recommendations.